Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 1,685 Shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Pacer Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,283 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,685 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $5,814,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Planning Capital Management Corp boosted its position in Moody’s by 566.7% during the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 60 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 272.2% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its stake in Moody’s by 83.0% in the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 86 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in Moody’s in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCO stock opened at $489.42 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $481.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $473.88. Moody’s Co. has a 52 week low of $360.05 and a 52 week high of $503.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.68 billion, a PE ratio of 44.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.30.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.62, for a total value of $133,087.22. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares in the company, valued at $29,314,236.28. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold 843 shares of company stock valued at $401,119 in the last ninety days. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $454.00 to $459.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Moody’s in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $521.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Moody’s from $510.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $462.00 to $481.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Moody’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $507.36.

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.