Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC Acquires New Holdings in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 600 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $234,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Wealthsource Partners LLC increased its position in Moody’s by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wealthsource Partners LLC now owns 3,522 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in Moody’s by 2.0% in the third quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,580 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Moody’s by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 997 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Moody’s by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,072 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $419,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HM Payson & Co. increased its stake in Moody’s by 1.2% in the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 2,862 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $905,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Up 1.1 %

Moody’s stock traded up $4.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $380.56. 793,012 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 756,106. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $383.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $373.23. The company has a market cap of $69.45 billion, a PE ratio of 41.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.74. Moody’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $296.45 and a fifty-two week high of $407.62.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 54.50% and a net margin of 27.01%. Moody’s’s quarterly revenue was up 21.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.99 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Moody’s Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MCO shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Moody’s from $411.00 to $424.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Moody’s from $405.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays upgraded shares of Moody’s from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $375.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Moody’s from $420.00 to $410.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Moody’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $398.50.

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.