Empowered Funds LLC Raises Stock Position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 17.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,144 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,364 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $4,328,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Planning Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 566.7% during the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 60 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its stake in Moody’s by 83.0% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 86 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Moody’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.99, for a total value of $134,596.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 61,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,387,952.46. This trade represents a 0.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold 1,124 shares of company stock worth $540,051 in the last 90 days. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MCO shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Moody’s from $468.00 to $481.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Moody’s from $454.00 to $459.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Moody’s from $490.00 to $512.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Moody’s from $495.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $507.36.

Moody’s Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:MCO opened at $512.76 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.83, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.31. Moody’s Co. has a 1 year low of $360.05 and a 1 year high of $513.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $483.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $477.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.67.

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.