BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments has increased its holdings in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) by 6.4%, according to its latest Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The investment firm now owns a total of 53,080 shares, following an acquisition of an additional 3,180 shares in the second quarter, bringing the total value of its holdings to approximately $25.90 million.
Multiple other hedge funds have also adjusted their positions in Moody’s recently. For instance, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake valued at $28,000 in the second quarter. Similarly, the Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position worth $30,000 earlier this year. ORG Partners LLC notably raised its holdings by 50%, owning 66 shares now valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 22 shares. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its holdings by 42.9% during the same period, now owning 80 shares valued at $40,000. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. also joined the fray with a new stake of approximately $47,000 in Moody’s. Overall, institutional investors now control 92.11% of the company’s stock.
Moody’s Stock Performance and Dividend Announcement
On Friday, Moody’s shares opened at $490.85. The stock has seen a one-year low of $378.71 and a high of $531.93. The company maintains a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70 and both a current and quick ratio of 1.84. With a market capitalization of $87.57 billion, Moody’s demonstrates a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 39.46 and a PEG ratio of 2.79.
Additionally, Moody’s has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share, set to be paid on December 12, 2023. Investors recorded as of November 21, 2023, will receive this dividend, which annualizes to $3.76 and yields 0.8%. The dividend payout ratio currently stands at 30.23%.
Insider Activity and Analyst Ratings
In recent insider activity, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,167 shares of the company on November 3, 2023, for an average price of $478.95, totaling approximately $558,934.65. This sale has reduced his holdings to 61,082 shares, valued at about $29.26 million. Over the past three months, insiders have sold a total of 2,569 shares worth $1.25 million, indicating that corporate insiders currently own 0.14% of the stock.
Moody’s has drawn attention from Wall Street analysts, with various research reports shaping the company’s outlook. Wall Street Zen downgraded Moody’s from a “buy” to a “hold” rating on November 8, 2023. Stifel Nicolaus lowered its price target from $526.00 to $471.00 while maintaining a “hold” rating. In contrast, Raymond James Financial upgraded its rating from “underperform” to “market perform” on October 17, 2023. Current consensus ratings show one analyst rating the stock as a “Strong Buy,” twelve as a “Buy,” and six as a “Hold,” with an average target price of $543.07, according to data from MarketBeat.
Moody’s Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm, functioning globally through its two main segments: Moody’s Analytics and Moody’s Investors Services. The Moody’s Analytics segment provides a variety of products and services intended to support the risk management activities of institutional participants in financial markets.
