Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 67,100 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,825 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $31,763,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Planning Capital Management Corp boosted its stake in Moody’s by 566.7% in the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 60 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 272.2% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in Moody’s by 83.0% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 86 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its position in Moody’s by 101.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 109 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE MCO opened at $484.59 on Wednesday. Moody’s Co. has a 52 week low of $360.05 and a 52 week high of $503.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The company has a market capitalization of $87.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $480.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $471.73.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.05% and a return on equity of 57.97%. The firm’s revenue was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.43 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Moody’s Co. will post 12.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Moody’s from $543.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $565.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $468.00 to $481.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $510.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $507.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.99, for a total transaction of $134,596.19. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 61,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,387,952.46. This trade represents a 0.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 1,681 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was 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 approximately $654,296. This represents a 54.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,524 shares of company stock worth $1,178,413 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s 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.