Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Given New $414.00 Price Target at Robert W. Baird

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) had its target price upped by Robert W. Baird from $405.00 to $414.00 in a research report report published on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on MCO. Barclays upgraded shares of Moody’s from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price target for the company from $375.00 to $450.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $362.00 to $350.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $420.00 to $410.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $355.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, February 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Moody’s has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $398.50.

Moody’s Trading Up 1.1 %

MCO stock traded up $4.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $380.56. The stock had a trading volume of 793,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 756,106. The firm has a market cap of $69.45 billion, a PE ratio of 41.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 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 has a 12-month low of $296.45 and a 12-month high of $407.62. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $383.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $373.23.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $3.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 27.01% and a return on equity of 54.50%. Moody’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.99 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Moody’s will post 10.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moody’s

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Moody’s by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,952 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,553,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Moody’s by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Moody’s by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 7,905 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,107,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 1st quarter worth about $261,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its position in shares of Moody’s by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 5,969 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,346,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

About Moody’s

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.