Moody's CorporationNYSE: MCO
Financials · Financial Exchanges & Data
$468.40
+3.16%
Vol: 929K
Research Digest
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
No significant overnight updates
No material news in the last 48 hours.
Previous Market Intelligence
13 daysJun 16No significant overnight updatesNeutral▶
No material news in the last 48 hours.
Jun 15No significant overnight updatesNeutral▶
No material news in the last 48 hours.
Jun 14No significant overnight updatesNeutral▶
No material news in the last 48 hours. Recent items (record Q1 results, new Moody's Analytics CEO, GenAI strategy call, earnings slides June 8) all predate the 2026-06-12 cutoff.
May 21No significant overnight updatesNeutral▶
No material company-specific news in the last 48 hours. Recent items (Microsoft AI partnership extension, Anthropic Claude integration, and Christina Kosmowski named Moody's Analytics CEO) all predate the 48-hour window.
May 20Moody's deepened its Microsoft AI partnership by embedding decision-grade credit intelligence into Microsoft 365 Copilot, Researcher agent, and Excel, with coverage hitting wires May 18-19.Positive▶
Moody's expanded Microsoft AI tie-up has been the dominant story for MCO over the past 24-48 hours, with new coverage on May 18-19, 2026 detailing how Moody's decision-grade credit intelligence is now available as a grounding data source across Microsoft 365 Copilot experiences (Copilot Chat, Researcher agent, and Copilot in Excel). The collaboration moves from co-innovation to scaled, workflow-embedded distribution inside enterprise environments where Moody's customers already operate. Earlier in May, MCO's $1.03 quarterly dividend went ex-date on May 15, and Moody's announced that Christina Kosmowski will become CEO of Moody's Analytics in June. Q1 2026 saw 6% organic revenue growth in both ratings and analytics, with adjusted EPS up 13% YoY on record rated issuance. Stifel trimmed its target to $523 (from $540) while maintaining Buy; the 17-analyst average target sits around $543.75.
May 19No significant overnight updatesNeutral▶
No material news in the last 48 hours.
May 18Moody's expanded AI partnerships with Microsoft and Anthropic, integrating decision-grade intelligence into Claude environment and Microsoft AI solutions following Q1 beat.Positive▶
Moody's Corporation announced the next phase of its strategic partnership with Microsoft, integrating Moody's decision-grade intelligence directly into Microsoft AI solutions. Additionally, Moody's Agentic Solutions will be available natively in Anthropic's Claude environment. Q1 2026 EPS of $4.33 beat the $4.23 forecast, with revenue of $2.08 billion (up 8.1% YoY) topping $2.07B consensus. Organic revenue grew 6% in both ratings and analytics segments, with adjusted operating income up 11%. Management lifted full-year 2026 EPS guidance to $16.40-$17.00 and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share (ex-date May 15). Free cash flow surged 26% YoY to $844M, and the company raised buyback guidance by $500M, targeting 110% of FCF for shareholder returns. Shares traded $426.31-$438.23 on May 18; consensus 12-month PT is $544.29 across 19 firms.
May 15Moody's expanded its Microsoft AI partnership and listed Agentic Solutions on AWS Marketplace, while Christina Kosmowski becomes CEO of Moody's Analytics.Positive▶
Moody's announced the next phase of its strategic partnership with Microsoft, integrating Moody's decision-grade intelligence directly into Microsoft AI solutions. Moody's Agentic Solutions workflows are now available in AWS Marketplace, beginning with the MAS Credit Memo workflow. The company also named Christina Kosmowski as CEO of Moody's Analytics, leading the $3.6B division. Q1 2026 saw 6% organic revenue growth in both Ratings and Analytics with adjusted operating income up 11%. Average analyst rating Buy with $543.75 price target, implying ~26% upside. Risk: ratings issuance sensitivity to capital-market conditions.
May 14Moody's gets reiterated Buy ratings from Barclays, RBC and others with $540 price target as AI-driven data strategy gains tractionPositive▶
Multiple analysts reaffirmed Buy ratings on Moody's in early May, including Barclays on May 7 and RBC Capital on May 4, with a $540 price target maintained on May 8 citing momentum in the AI-driven data strategy. The consensus across 17 analysts is Buy with an average price target of $543.75, implying roughly 24% upside. MCO declared a $1.03 quarterly cash dividend with an ex-date of May 15. Shares traded around $439 on May 14, with the stock down about 18% from its 52-week high. The risk is that the stock has not responded to bullish analyst calls, suggesting macro credit-cycle and rate-sensitive issuance concerns continue to weigh on the ratings business despite a record $2.1B Q1 revenue.
May 13Moody's announces $1.03 quarterly dividend and Christina Kosmowski to become CEO of $3.6B Moody's Analytics division in June.Positive▶
Moody's declared a $1.03 cash dividend with ex-date May 15, 2026. The company named Christina Kosmowski to lead Moody's Analytics from June, signaling continued investment in its high-growth analytics business. Following Q1 results showing 13% adjusted EPS growth and record rated issuance, guidance was maintained despite geopolitical volatility. Goldman Sachs (George Tong) reiterated Buy with $540 PT. The 17-analyst consensus is Buy with average $543.75 PT, implying ~19% upside. AI/Microsoft partnership expansion and AWS Marketplace availability for Moody's Agentic Solutions add to the bullish narrative.
May 12Truist Financial trims Moody's position May 9 ahead of June CEO transition for Moody's Analytics to Christina Kosmowski.Positive▶
Truist Financial Corp cut its position in Moody's Corporation, disclosed May 9, 2026. Christina Kosmowski is set to become CEO of Moody's Analytics in June. Moody's declared a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share with record date May 15. Q1 2026 results (reported April 22) delivered EPS of $4.33 versus $4.22 consensus, with 6% organic revenue growth in both Ratings and Analytics segments and adjusted operating income up 11%; full-year EPS guidance maintained at $16.40–$17.00. Barclays reiterated Buy on May 7 and RBC Capital reiterated Buy on May 4. The 17-analyst average price target stands at $543.75, implying about 19% upside. An SVP sold 158 shares May 1 at $466.39.
May 11Moody's shares trade near $458 after Truist Financial trimmed its position on May 9, while private credit market stress drives demand for independent ratings.Mixed▶
Moody's Corporation is digesting its Q1 2026 record revenue of $2.1 billion (+8% YoY) reported April 30, with the MIS segment generating $1.2 billion in sales and adjusted EPS of $4.33 beating the $4.22 consensus. On May 9, Truist Financial cut its position. The company declared a $1.03 quarterly dividend payable June 5 to holders of record May 15. SVP Richard Steele sold 158 shares at $466.39 on May 1. Shares are up 3.36% over the month at $458.17. Private credit market stress is driving surging demand for independent third-party credit assessments, supporting the ratings franchise. Risk is mixed analyst sentiment and the revenue miss vs $2.11B consensus.
May 8Moody s reports record Q1 2026 revenue of $2.1B (+8% YoY) with EPS of $4.33 beating $4.23 forecastPositive▶
Moody s reported strong Q1 2026 with record revenue of $2.1B and $1.2B in Moody s Investors Service segment sales. Organic revenue growth of 6% in both ratings and analytics segments. Adjusted EPS of $4.33 beat forecast of $4.23, driving 4.09% pre-market gain. Adjusted operating income rose 11%. Company declared cash dividend of $1.03 with ex-date of May 15. MCO appointed Lisa P. Sawicki to Board effective March 16, 2026. Guidance remains unchanged amid geopolitical volatility with strong capital returns planned for 2026. Stock trading at $458.17 with market cap of $79.9B.
Sector Peers
| Company | Price | Day | 1M | Fwd P/E | Beta | Mkt Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPGIS+P | $433.60 | +2.25% | +3.8% | 19.5x | 1.08 | $128.2B |
| CMECME | $261.38 | -1.77% | -14.3% | 20.3x | 0.24 | $94.5B |
| MCOMOODY | $468.40 | +3.16% | +5.6% | 25.2x | 1.34 | $81.8B |
| ICEINTERCONTINENTAL | $140.57 | +0.34% | -9.4% | 16.0x | 0.92 | $79.9B |
| NDAQNASDAQ | $89.24 | -1.98% | -3.6% | 20.1x | 0.97 | $50.5B |
| COINCOINBASE | $169.45 | -0.10% | -10.7% | 34.2x | 3.32 | $44.6B |
Key Fundamentals
RSI (14-Day)
52-Week Range
Moving Averages
Price below 200d MA — bearish structure.