GAMMA Investing LLC Acquires 273 Shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 55.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 769 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the first quarter valued at $25,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the first quarter valued at $35,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the first quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the fourth quarter valued at $52,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Moody’s news, insider Richard G. Steele 1,506 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Price Performance

MCO stock traded down $20.51 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $440.08. 1,017,640 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 739,788. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.14 billion, a PE ratio of 48.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.28. Moody’s Co. has a 52 week low of $298.86 and a 52 week high of $462.66. 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 fifty day moving average price of $427.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $402.20.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 57.03% and a net margin of 28.34%. The business’s revenue was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.30 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Moody’s Co. will post 11.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCO has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Moody’s from $454.00 to $492.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Moody’s from $374.00 to $392.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 5th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Moody’s from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Moody’s from $405.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Moody’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $448.50.

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.