Caprock Group LLC Buys New Shares in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 5,380 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,547,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s in the fourth quarter worth about $15,543,000. Gilbert & Cook Inc. acquired a new position in Moody’s during the fourth quarter valued at $200,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $199,000. First Affirmative Financial Network purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter worth about $218,000. Finally, Baron Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Moody’s in the 4th quarter valued at $202,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.99, for a total value of $134,596.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 61,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,387,952.46. This 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 the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders sold 843 shares of company stock worth $401,119. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCO opened at $499.49 on Friday. Moody’s Co. has a 1-year low of $360.05 and a 1-year high of $505.78. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $483.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $474.53. The firm has a market cap of $90.51 billion, a PE ratio of 45.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MCO. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Moody’s in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $565.00 target price for the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Moody’s from $495.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Moody’s from $454.00 to $459.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Moody’s from $543.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $507.36.

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.