Handelsbanken Fonder AB Trims Position in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its stake in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,274 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,041 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $23,223,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Moody’s by 87.1% during the 1st quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 58 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Moody’s in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Moody’s by 1,866.7% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 59 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Moody’s in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 92.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:MCO opened at $478.44 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.87 billion, a PE ratio of 30.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.19. Moody’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $402.28 and a 52-week high of $546.88. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $473.19 and a 200 day moving average of $459.62.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.42. Moody’s had a return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 34.25%.The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.56 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MCO shares. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $505.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Moody’s from $590.00 to $597.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $512.00 price target on Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Moody’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Moody’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $553.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $484.30, for a total value of $710,468.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 51,964 shares in the company, valued at $25,166,165.20. The trade was a 2.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total transaction of $71,679.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,985 shares in the company, valued at $900,534.95. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 3,092 shares of company stock valued at $1,447,682 in the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.