Morse Asset Management Inc Invests $122,000 in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 258 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $122,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Moody’s by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,466 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,967,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in Moody’s by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 33,788 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,994,000 after buying an additional 1,886 shares in the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Moody’s by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 871 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $412,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new position in Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $153,000. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,290,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on Moody’s from $570.00 to $520.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Moody’s from $610.00 to $572.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. UBS Group raised their price target on Moody’s from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $504.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Moody’s from $475.00 to $456.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $515.87.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $522.20, for a total transaction of $146,738.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,321,046.80. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,111 shares of company stock valued at $520,603. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Moody’s Trading Down 0.4%

Moody’s stock opened at $485.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.26 billion, a PE ratio of 43.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The business’s fifty day moving average is $447.06 and its 200 day moving average is $471.90. Moody’s Co. has a one year low of $378.71 and a one year high of $531.93.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.58 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.90 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 58.94% and a net margin of 29.03%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Moody’s Co. will post 13.95 EPS for the current year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.47%.

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.