Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. Trims Position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. lowered its holdings in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,011 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $1,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Moody’s by 114.3% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 75 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC increased its position in Moody’s by 83.0% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 86 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody’s Stock Up 0.5 %

MCO stock traded up $2.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $456.36. 582,578 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 760,369. The company has a market capitalization of $82.69 billion, a PE ratio of 41.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.29. Moody’s Co. has a twelve month low of $317.54 and a twelve month high of $495.10. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $476.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $441.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.32. Moody’s had a return on equity of 57.97% and a net margin of 29.05%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.43 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Moody’s Co. will post 12.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MCO. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $454.00 to $459.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Moody’s from $451.00 to $462.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Moody’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $521.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on Moody’s from $495.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Moody’s from $536.00 to $543.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $500.00.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In related news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 1,862 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.43, for a total value of $848,010.66. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $473,647.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 1,681 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.40, for a total value of $777,294.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,415 shares in the company, valued at $654,296. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 1,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.43, for a total value of $848,010.66. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,040 shares in the company, valued at approximately $473,647.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,612 shares of company stock worth $2,110,119 in the last 90 days. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Moody’s

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.