21,559 Shares in Moody’s Corporation $MCO Bought by CIBC Bancorp USA Inc.

CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 21,559 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,272,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MCO. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Moody’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $987,524,000. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 1,222.0% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 324,251 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $154,499,000 after purchasing an additional 299,724 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP grew its position in Moody’s by 340.0% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 283,744 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $135,198,000 after purchasing an additional 219,251 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its position in Moody’s by 10,311.9% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 197,826 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $94,260,000 after purchasing an additional 195,926 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Moody’s by 223.8% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 102,126 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $51,225,000 after buying an additional 184,598 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total transaction of $171,266.25. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,123,049.89. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 owned 75,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,613,594.19. This represents a 6.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 6,755 shares of company stock valued at $3,144,524 over the last quarter. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of MCO opened at $434.37 on Friday. Moody’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $378.71 and a twelve month high of $546.88. The company has a market capitalization of $77.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $472.80 and a 200 day moving average of $485.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66.

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

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is a boost from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 30.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Moody’s from $550.00 to $524.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Moody’s from $600.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Moody’s from $620.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays cut their target price on Moody’s from $580.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $550.25.

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.