Advisors Asset Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 145.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,595 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,132 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $1,713,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BAM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $871,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Moody’s by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 647,711 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $308,649,000 after acquiring an additional 1,942 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Moody’s by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 73,793 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $35,161,000 after acquiring an additional 2,202 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 135.7% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 45,829 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $21,837,000 after purchasing an additional 26,388 shares during the period. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 1.4% during the second quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,574,948 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,291,568,000 after purchasing an additional 35,123 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 575 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.90, for a total transaction of $286,867.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 61,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,473,809.80. The trade was a 0.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Moody’s Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:MCO opened at $426.82 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $501.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $496.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.31, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.44. Moody’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $378.71 and a 1 year 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCO has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Moody’s from $534.00 to $507.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Moody’s from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $500.00 to $590.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Moody’s from $580.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Moody’s in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $574.00 price target on shares of Moody’s and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Moody’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $558.56.

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.