Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Price Target Raised to $459.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) had its target price upped by Stifel Nicolaus from $454.00 to $459.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target would suggest a potential downside of 2.06% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com raised Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $455.00 to $464.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $536.00 to $543.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Moody’s from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $500.00.

Moody’s Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Moody’s stock traded up $0.94 on Wednesday, reaching $468.67. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 254,819 shares, compared to its average volume of 741,235. The company has a market capitalization of $85.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $478.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $437.39. Moody’s has a 52 week low of $298.86 and a 52 week high of $495.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted 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. Moody’s had a return on equity of 57.03% and a net margin of 28.34%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.43 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Moody’s will post 11.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $464.06, for a total value of $232,030.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,084,606.82. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 1,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $464.06, for a total value of $232,030.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,647 shares in the company, valued at $3,084,606.82. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,931 shares of company stock worth $1,332,825. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moody’s

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new stake in Moody’s during the first quarter worth approximately $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 bought a new stake in Moody’s during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its stake 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, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Moody’s during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.