Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Now Covered by Analysts at Bank of America

Bank of America started coverage on shares of Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning. The firm issued a buy rating and a $550.00 price objective on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Moody’s from $603.00 to $532.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 9th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Moody’s from $539.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Moody’s from $580.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of 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 note on Tuesday, January 13th. One 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $559.81.

Moody’s Stock Down 0.8%

MCO opened at $422.91 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $75.45 billion, a PE ratio of 34.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.44. Moody’s has a twelve month low of $378.71 and a twelve month high of $546.88. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $499.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $495.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 592 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $516.15, for a total transaction of $305,560.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 61,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,527,474.30. The trade was a 0.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moody’s

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Moody’s during the second quarter worth $25,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” and a $550 price target (roughly a 30% upside from current levels), providing a high-profile bullish catalyst and analyst support for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s established a regional headquarters in Riyadh, deepening its Middle East footprint and aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 — a strategic move that can drive long-term revenue growth from expanding capital markets. Moody’s Establishes Regional Headquarters in Saudi Arabia
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst consensus is favorable — Moody’s received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy,” which supports demand among institutional investors. Analyst Consensus: Moderate Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings commentary points to solid drivers: Zacks highlights healthy global loan and bond issuance and Moody’s history of earnings beats, suggesting upside risk to near-term results. Healthy Global Loan Issuance to Drive Q4
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note mixed signals on valuation and momentum — balance of attractive fundamentals vs. recent share weakness leaves sentiment split among value and growth investors. Riyadh Hub Opens As Valuation And Momentum Send Mixed Signals
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses reviewing Moody’s valuation after recent weakness and private credit prospects provide context but not a clear directional trigger; investors are weighing multiple growth vectors. A Look At Moody’s Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings roundups collect expected topics for the report (MIS issuance, Analytics demand, valuation) — informative but not new catalysts on their own. Q4: Everything You Need to Know Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Potential margin pressure from rising acquisition and integration costs is noted as a near-term headwind that could temper profit upside even if revenues stay healthy. Rising Acquisition Costs May Pressure Margins

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.