Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) Insider Michael L. West Sells 2,641 Shares

Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO – Get Free Report) insider Michael L. West sold 2,641 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $352.79, for a total transaction of $931,718.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 8,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,910,870.29. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Moody’s Price Performance

NYSE:MCO opened at $338.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $341.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $317.52. The stock has a market cap of $62.03 billion, a PE ratio of 43.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.30. Moody’s Co. has a one year low of $230.16 and a one year high of $363.19.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 25th. The business services provider reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.45 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 25.81% and a return on equity of 55.98%. Moody’s’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Moody’s Co. will post 10.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Investors of record on Friday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 17th. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 39.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $300.00 to $323.00 in a report on Monday, July 10th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $308.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Moody’s from $346.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. Barclays boosted their price target on Moody’s from $300.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $325.53.

View Our Latest Research Report on MCO

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 4,900.0% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the first quarter valued at $31,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Moody’s by 72.1% during the 1st quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 148 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.47% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Moody’s Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm worldwide. It operates in two segments, Moody’s Investors Service and Moody’s Analytics. The Moody’s Investors Service segment publishes credit ratings and provides assessment services on various debt obligations, programs and facilities, and entities that issue such obligations, such as various corporate, financial institution, and governmental obligations, as well as and structured finance securities.