National Pension Service Has $176.71 Million Stock Position in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

National Pension Service increased its position in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 370,862 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,090 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.21% of Moody’s worth $176,708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $987,524,000. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in Moody’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $135,968,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Moody’s by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,006,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,527,360,000 after acquiring an additional 191,368 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in Moody’s by 223.8% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 102,126 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $51,225,000 after acquiring an additional 184,598 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Moody’s by 91.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 235,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $117,987,000 after acquiring an additional 112,105 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of MCO opened at $515.39 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $509.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $500.42. Moody’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $378.71 and a 52-week high of $546.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 1.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.95 billion, a PE ratio of 41.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded Moody’s from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $500.00 to $590.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Mizuho raised their target price on Moody’s from $539.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Moody’s from $540.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $520.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $560.94.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,167 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.95, for a total value of $558,934.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 61,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,255,223.90. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Moody’s

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.