Custom Index Systems LLC Makes New $522,000 Investment in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Custom Index Systems LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,241 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $522,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MCO. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in shares of Moody’s by 34.3% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,455 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,349,000 after buying an additional 882 shares during the period. Lincoln National Corp raised its position in shares of Moody’s by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 1,427 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $557,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 4th quarter worth $591,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 4th quarter worth $1,159,000. Finally, Gateway Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 4th quarter worth $243,000. 92.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of Moody’s stock opened at $475.44 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $457.61 and a 200-day moving average of $416.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.52. The company has a market capitalization of $86.82 billion, a PE ratio of 51.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.29. Moody’s Co. has a 1-year low of $298.86 and a 1-year high of $490.18.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 57.03% and a net margin of 28.34%. The company’s revenue was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Moody’s Co. will post 11.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 500 shares of Moody’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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,647 shares in the company, valued at $3,084,606.82. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Moody’s news, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $464.06, for a total value of $232,030.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,084,606.82. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 1,862 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.43, for a total transaction of $848,010.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,040 shares in the company, valued at approximately $473,647.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,931 shares of company stock worth $1,332,825. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Moody’s from $454.00 to $492.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Moody’s from $420.00 to $451.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Moody’s from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded Moody’s from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $482.00 to $455.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $465.00.

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.