Kerusso Capital Management LLC Purchases New Holdings in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Kerusso Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 7,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,308,000. Moody’s accounts for approximately 2.4% of Kerusso Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MCO. Custom Index Systems LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $522,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Moody’s by 38.9% during the second quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,421 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,440,000 after buying an additional 958 shares during the last quarter. Hanlon Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Moody’s by 11.5% in the second quarter. Hanlon Investment Management Inc. now owns 851 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in Moody’s by 3.5% in the second quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 39,016 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $16,422,000 after acquiring an additional 1,311 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Moody’s by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,437 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,446,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Down 1.7 %

MCO opened at $475.44 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.29. Moody’s Co. has a one year low of $298.86 and a one year high of $490.18. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $457.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $416.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.52.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 57.03% and a net margin of 28.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.30 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Moody’s Co. will post 11.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In other news, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 569 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $444.26, for a total value of $252,783.94. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,619,386.22. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Moody’s news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 1,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.43, for a total value of $848,010.66. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $473,647.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 569 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $444.26, for a total transaction of $252,783.94. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,147 shares in the company, valued at $3,619,386.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,931 shares of company stock worth $1,332,825 over the last three months. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on MCO. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $454.00 to $492.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays upped their price target on Moody’s from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Moody’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Moody’s from $460.00 to $514.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $465.00.

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.