Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $506.27 and last traded at $503.34, with a volume of 454416 shares. The stock had previously closed at $502.84.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCO has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Moody’s from $468.00 to $481.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $490.00 to $512.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $543.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Moody’s from $462.00 to $481.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Moody’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $507.36.

Moody’s Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $482.92 and a 200 day moving average of $475.85. 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 firm has a market cap of $91.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.98, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $474.86, for a total transaction of $133,435.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares in the company, valued at $29,390,984.84. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,124 shares of company stock worth $540,051. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moody’s

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Planning Capital Management Corp increased its position in Moody’s by 566.7% in the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 60 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Moody’s by 272.2% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 83.0% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 86 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

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.