Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) Short Interest Down 17.2% in January

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 2,105,494 shares, a drop of 17.2% from the January 15th total of 2,541,719 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 688,364 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 1.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 1.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 688,364 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on MCO shares. Mizuho upped their target price on Moody’s from $539.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $574.00 price target on shares of Moody’s and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $580.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Moody’s from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $500.00 to $590.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $559.81.

Insider Transactions at Moody’s

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 592 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $516.15, for a total value of $305,560.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 61,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,527,474.30. This represents a 0.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moody’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Moody’s in the fourth quarter worth about $1,097,101,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $395,096,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Moody’s by 73.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,716,304 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $876,775,000 after buying an additional 726,971 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Moody’s by 315.6% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 417,782 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $213,424,000 after buying an additional 317,245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in Moody’s by 1,222.0% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 324,251 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $154,499,000 after buying an additional 299,724 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCO traded down $3.53 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $422.91. The company had a trading volume of 1,932,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,452,908. Moody’s has a 52 week low of $378.71 and a 52 week high of $546.88. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $499.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $495.11. The stock has a market cap of $75.45 billion, a PE ratio of 34.00, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Trending Headlines about Moody’s

Here are the key news stories impacting Moody’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” and a $550 price target (roughly a 30% upside from current levels), providing a high-profile bullish catalyst and analyst support for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s established a regional headquarters in Riyadh, deepening its Middle East footprint and aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 — a strategic move that can drive long-term revenue growth from expanding capital markets. Moody’s Establishes Regional Headquarters in Saudi Arabia
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst consensus is favorable — Moody’s received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy,” which supports demand among institutional investors. Analyst Consensus: Moderate Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings commentary points to solid drivers: Zacks highlights healthy global loan and bond issuance and Moody’s history of earnings beats, suggesting upside risk to near-term results. Healthy Global Loan Issuance to Drive Q4
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note mixed signals on valuation and momentum — balance of attractive fundamentals vs. recent share weakness leaves sentiment split among value and growth investors. Riyadh Hub Opens As Valuation And Momentum Send Mixed Signals
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses reviewing Moody’s valuation after recent weakness and private credit prospects provide context but not a clear directional trigger; investors are weighing multiple growth vectors. A Look At Moody’s Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings roundups collect expected topics for the report (MIS issuance, Analytics demand, valuation) — informative but not new catalysts on their own. Q4: Everything You Need to Know Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Potential margin pressure from rising acquisition and integration costs is noted as a near-term headwind that could temper profit upside even if revenues stay healthy. Rising Acquisition Costs May Pressure Margins

About Moody’s

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.