Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Sets New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $620.00 to $660.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Moody’s traded as high as $541.52 and last traded at $545.0790, with a volume of 44594 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $535.98.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on MCO. Wall Street Zen lowered Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $528.00 price target on Moody’s and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $574.00 price target on Moody’s and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $539.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Moody’s in a report on Friday, October 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $560.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,167 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.95, for a total transaction of $558,934.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 61,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,255,223.90. This represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,739 shares of company stock valued at $841,445. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Moody’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded Moody’s and raised its price target (now $660), signaling roughly ~22% upside from the recent price and supporting buy interest. Moody’s (MCO) Gets a Buy from Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa America upgraded MCO from Hold to Strong‑Buy, adding to the upgrade momentum and analyst conviction. Zacks – Daiwa Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and previews (Zacks, Barchart) expect Moody’s to again beat estimates with double‑digit bottom‑line growth, reinforcing the stock’s premium multiple given recurring revenue and recent strong results. Will Moody’s (MCO) Beat Estimates Again? What to Expect From Moody’s Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Appointment of Lisa P. Sawicki to the board has prompted renewed valuation analysis; governance/strategic implications are being debated but are unlikely to move fundamentals immediately. Assessing Moody’s (MCO) Valuation After Lisa P. Sawicki Joins The Board
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term commentary asks whether recent multi‑year gains leave limited upside today; this frames some investors’ hesitation despite upgrades and strong earnings momentum. Is It Too Late To Consider Moody’s (MCO) After Strong Multi‑Year Share Price Gains

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rexford Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Moody’s during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $500.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $498.71. The stock has a market cap of $96.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.45.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.22. Moody’s had a return on equity of 63.58% and a net margin of 29.92%.The company had revenue of $2.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.21 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Moody’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.500-14.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Moody’s Corporation will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.23%.

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.