Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) Stake Lowered by Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc.

Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc. lowered its position in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 230,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,911 shares during the period. Moody’s comprises about 5.3% of Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $108,929,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in Moody’s during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Moody’s by 101.9% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 109 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody’s Price Performance

NYSE MCO opened at $401.74 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $72.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.38. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $482.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $478.89. Moody’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $360.05 and a fifty-two week high of $531.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.67.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.03% and a return on equity of 58.94%. On average, analysts anticipate that Moody’s Co. will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.94 dividend. This is a positive change from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $522.20, for a total transaction of $146,738.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,321,046.80. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 1,258 shares of company stock worth $610,936 in the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MCO. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $481.00 to $531.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Mizuho began coverage on Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $504.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $481.00 to $508.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $459.00 to $533.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $523.43.

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.