Canoe Financial LP Has $217.58 Million Stake in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Canoe Financial LP increased its holdings in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 425,922 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,780 shares during the period. Moody’s comprises 3.0% of Canoe Financial LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Canoe Financial LP owned 0.24% of Moody’s worth $217,582,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s during the third quarter worth $27,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Moody’s during the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of Moody’s stock opened at $424.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $75.60 billion, a PE ratio of 31.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.45. 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 1.66, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $462.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $482.91.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.39 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 31.86% and a return on equity of 66.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.62 EPS. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Moody’s Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is an increase from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Moody’s’s payout ratio is currently 30.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on MCO. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $531.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Moody’s from $600.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Moody’s from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $580.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $550.25.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In other news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total transaction of $171,266.25. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,459 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,049.89. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total transaction of $2,380,829.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,789 shares in the company, valued at $34,613,594.19. This trade represents a 6.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,755 shares of company stock valued at $3,144,524. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Moody’s 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.