Banque Pictet & Cie SA Has $56.81 Million Stock Position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Banque Pictet & Cie SA reduced its holdings in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 120,017 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 7,564 shares during the quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA owned about 0.07% of Moody’s worth $56,812,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Planning Capital Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Moody’s by 566.7% in the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 60 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Moody’s by 272.2% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 83.0% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 86 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody’s Price Performance

Moody’s stock opened at $527.78 on Friday. Moody’s Co. has a 52 week low of $360.05 and a 52 week high of $528.09. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $483.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $477.80. The stock has a market cap of $95.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.35. Moody’s had a return on equity of 57.97% and a net margin of 29.05%. On average, equities analysts predict that Moody’s Co. will post 12.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $474.86, for a total value of $133,435.66. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,390,984.84. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 843 shares of company stock valued at $405,455. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Moody’s from $462.00 to $481.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup started coverage on Moody’s in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $565.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $468.00 to $481.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $490.00 to $512.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $507.36.

Moody’s Profile

Moody’s Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm worldwide. It operates in two segments, Moody’s Analytics and Moody’s Investors Services. The Moody’s Analytics segment develops a range of products and services that support the risk management activities of institutional participants in financial markets.