UBS Group Boosts Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Price Target to $540.00

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) had its price objective hoisted by UBS Group from $510.00 to $540.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the business services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 3.30% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on MCO. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $468.00 to $481.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup initiated coverage on Moody’s in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $543.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $459.00 to $533.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Moody’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $524.92.

Moody’s Stock Performance

MCO opened at $522.76 on Tuesday. The firm 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $485.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $479.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Moody’s has a 12-month low of $360.05 and a 12-month high of $531.93.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 57.97% and a net margin of 29.05%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Moody’s will post 12.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of Moody’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,314,236.28. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders sold 843 shares of company stock worth $405,455. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moody’s

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Planning Capital Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Moody’s by 566.7% in the 3rd 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 increased 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 buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. 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.