BMO Capital analyst Jeffrey Silber has maintained their neutral stance on MCO stock, giving a Hold rating yesterday.
Jeffrey Silber has given his Hold rating due to a combination of factors influencing Moody’s current and future performance. The company’s recent earnings report showed a beat against consensus expectations, but this was largely due to lowered estimates as a result of slowing issuance activity. Management has revised its 2025 issuance guidance downward, citing a sluggish start in April, which is expected to improve later in the year. This cautious outlook has led to a reduction in estimates and target prices.
Additionally, while Moody’s Analytics division has shown growth, there are signs of slowing due to tightened client purchasing patterns. The company’s core debt ratings business remains a significant driver of its stock trajectory, and with expected deceleration in debt issuance trends, this could further impact the stock. Despite these challenges, Moody’s current valuation appears justified, supporting the Hold rating.
In another report released yesterday, Stifel Nicolaus also maintained a Hold rating on the stock with a $468.00 price target.
Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 91 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is negative on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders selling their shares of MCO in relation to earlier this year.