Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Has $18.57 Million Holdings in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its position in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 21.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,966 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,000 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $18,567,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Norges Bank bought a new position in Moody’s during the 2nd quarter worth $987,524,000. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the second quarter worth $135,968,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,006,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,527,360,000 after acquiring an additional 191,368 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of Moody’s by 223.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 102,126 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $51,225,000 after acquiring an additional 184,598 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Moody’s by 91.0% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 235,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $117,987,000 after buying an additional 112,105 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on MCO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Moody’s from $580.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Moody’s from $603.00 to $532.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Raymond James Financial raised Moody’s from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Moody’s in a report on Friday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $558.56.

Moody’s Stock Performance

Moody’s stock opened at $411.65 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The stock has a market cap of $73.44 billion, a PE ratio of 33.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.44. Moody’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $378.71 and a 12-month high of $546.88. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $504.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $497.63.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 575 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.90, for a total transaction of $286,867.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 61,082 shares in the company, valued at $30,473,809.80. This represents a 0.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Company Profile

Moody’s Corporation is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data and analytics that support financial decision-making and transparency in capital markets. The company traces its origins to the early 20th century when financial analyst John Moody began publishing credit information; today Moody’s is headquartered in New York and serves a broad set of market participants including investors, issuers, financial institutions, corporations, governments and regulators.

Moody’s operates primarily through two complementary businesses.