Flossbach Von Storch AG Has $126.73 Million Stock Holdings in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Flossbach Von Storch AG reduced its stake in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 324,470 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 29,079 shares during the period. Flossbach Von Storch AG owned 0.18% of Moody’s worth $126,725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position in Moody’s by 4,900.0% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Moody’s during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its holdings in Moody’s by 143.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 117 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moody’s Price Performance

Moody’s stock traded up $4.68 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $375.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 572,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 719,728. The stock has a market cap of $68.51 billion, a PE ratio of 43.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. Moody’s Co. has a 52 week low of $296.45 and a 52 week high of $407.62. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $385.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $368.69.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by ($0.14). Moody’s had a return on equity of 55.23% and a net margin of 27.16%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.60 earnings per share. Moody’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Moody’s Co. will post 10.67 EPS for the current year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. This is a positive change from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Moody’s’s payout ratio is currently 38.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on MCO. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $430.00 to $414.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Moody’s from $455.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Moody’s from $425.00 to $405.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Moody’s from $362.00 to $350.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.75.

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.