Monte Financial Group LLC Sells 33 Shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Monte Financial Group LLC cut its position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 33 shares during the quarter. Monte Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $1,370,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $386,000. MBB Public Markets I LLC lifted its position in Moody’s by 1,354.5% during the second quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC now owns 11,680 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,916,000 after purchasing an additional 10,877 shares during the period. Marshfield Associates boosted its position in Moody’s by 0.5% in the second quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 517,434 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $217,803,000 after purchasing an additional 2,512 shares during the last quarter. Makena Capital Management LLC increased its position in Moody’s by 16.3% in the second quarter. Makena Capital Management LLC now owns 20,785 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,749,000 after buying an additional 2,911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Moody’s by 4.8% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,709,627 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $719,635,000 after purchasing an additional 78,782 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCO opened at $489.21 on Friday. Moody’s Co. has a 1-year low of $360.05 and a 1-year high of $503.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $88.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.68, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $481.00 and a 200-day moving average of $472.67.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.32. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.05% and a return on equity of 57.97%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Moody’s Co. will post 12.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price target on Moody’s from $495.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup began coverage on Moody’s in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $521.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Moody’s from $468.00 to $481.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $510.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $507.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.99, for a total value of $134,596.19. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 61,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,387,952.46. This represents a 0.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 1,681 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.40, for a total transaction of $777,294.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $654,296. This trade represents a 54.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,524 shares of company stock worth $1,178,413. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

About Moody’s

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.