Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) Shares Sold by Bokf Na

Bokf Na cut its holdings in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 2.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,171 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 123 shares during the period. Bokf Na’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $1,643,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Strategic Advocates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC now owns 1,890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $738,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 459 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $179,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 2,375 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $933,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $120,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Up 2.6 %

NYSE MCO traded up $11.54 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $448.75. The company had a trading volume of 884,404 shares, compared to its average volume of 757,001. Moody’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $298.86 and a fifty-two week high of $458.24. The company has a market capitalization of $81.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $422.75 and its 200 day moving average is $399.32.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 57.03% and a net margin of 28.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Moody’s Co. will post 11.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Moody’s from $405.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Moody’s from $454.00 to $492.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Moody’s from $374.00 to $392.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 5th. Barclays increased their target price on Moody’s from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Moody’s from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Moody’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $448.50.

Moody’s Company Profile

Moody's Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm worldwide. It operates in two segments, Moody's Analytics and Moody's Investors Services. The Moody's Analytics segment develops a range of products and services that support the risk management activities of institutional participants in financial markets.