DDD Partners LLC Sells 126 Shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

DDD Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,291 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 126 shares during the quarter. DDD Partners LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $504,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MCO. Markel Corp boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Markel Corp now owns 212,990 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $71,865,000 after purchasing an additional 1,750 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its stake in Moody’s by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 2,126 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $717,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC purchased a new position in Moody’s in the 1st quarter worth $1,078,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Moody’s by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,980 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $668,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. raised its stake in Moody’s by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 30,994 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,457,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 2,547 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $376.50, for a total value of $958,945.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 54,099 shares in the company, valued at $20,368,273.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Trading Down 0.2 %

MCO opened at $390.24 on Thursday. Moody’s Co. has a 52 week low of $290.98 and a 52 week high of $407.62. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $386.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $362.64. The firm has a market cap of $71.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.33 by ($0.14). Moody’s had a return on equity of 55.23% and a net margin of 27.16%. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.60 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Moody’s Co. will post 10.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is a positive change from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Moody’s from $430.00 to $414.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Moody’s from $355.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Moody’s from $362.00 to $350.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Moody’s from $340.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $390.42.

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.