Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Given New $533.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) had its price target raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $459.00 to $533.00 in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Moody’s from $495.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $490.00 to $512.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $468.00 to $481.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $522.62.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCO opened at $522.76 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $484.38 and its 200 day moving average is $478.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $94.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.31. Moody’s has a fifty-two week low of $360.05 and a fifty-two week high of $531.93.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.35. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.05% and a return on equity of 57.97%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Moody’s will post 12.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.94 dividend. This is a positive change from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.62, for a total value of $133,087.22. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,314,236.28. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders sold 843 shares of company stock valued at $405,455 over the last quarter. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Moody’s

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Planning Capital Management Corp lifted its position in Moody’s by 566.7% during the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 60 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Moody’s by 272.2% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Moody’s during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 83.0% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 86 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of Moody’s during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Company 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.