Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Price Target Raised to $600.00

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) had its price target boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $530.00 to $600.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on MCO. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Moody’s from $491.00 to $496.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $500.00 target price on Moody’s in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $535.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $565.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $560.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $551.42.

Moody’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCO stock opened at $489.38 on Monday. Moody’s has a 52-week low of $402.28 and a 52-week high of $546.88. The stock has a market cap of $85.50 billion, a PE ratio of 35.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.34. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $463.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $464.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.42. Moody’s had a return on equity of 70.97% and a net margin of 31.69%.The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.56 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Moody’s will post 16.73 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In related news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $71,679.86. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $900,534.95. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $665,533.89. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 52,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,846,709.88. This trade represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,495,098. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Moody’s

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tema ETFs LLC grew its position in Moody’s by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 5,338 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,418,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 21.7% in the second quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 1,680 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $761,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 15.3% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 951 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $431,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 9.3% during the second quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 598 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s during the second quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Moody’s

Here are the key news stories impacting Moody’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s reported Q2 EPS of $4.68, ahead of consensus, and revenue of $2.19 billion, up 15.1% year over year, helped by stronger bond issuance activity and solid demand in analytics. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its stock repurchase outlook and declared a $1.03 dividend, which supports shareholder returns. Article Link
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s updated full-year 2026 EPS guidance to $16.50-$17.00, which is broadly in line with expectations, but not enough to offset concerns about margin pressure. Article Link
• Negative Sentiment: The market is reacting to lower 2026 operating margin guidance, suggesting costs may be rising faster than expected and limiting enthusiasm for the earnings beat. Article Link

Moody’s Company Profile

Moody’s Corporation is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data and analytics that support financial decision-making and transparency in capital markets. The company traces its origins to the early 20th century when financial analyst John Moody began publishing credit information; today Moody’s is headquartered in New York and serves a broad set of market participants including investors, issuers, financial institutions, corporations, governments and regulators.

Moody’s operates primarily through two complementary businesses.