Moody’s Surges 0.55% with $290M in Trading Volume Ranking 345th as Institutional Investors Pile In to $712M Holdings

Moody's Corporation (MCO) rose 0.55% on August 19, 2025, with a trading volume of $290 million, ranking 345th in market activity. Institutional investors significantly increased their stakes, including Makena Capital Management LLC boosting its position by 83.7% to $22.2 million and Goldman Sachs raising holdings to $712.8 million. The company reported Q2 earnings of $3.56 per share, surpassing estimates, and declared a $0.94 per share quarterly dividend, reflecting consistent shareholder returns.

Insider activity saw mixed signals, with CFO Noemie Heuland and CEO Robert Fauber selling shares totaling $455,891 and $208,911 respectively, reducing their holdings by 29.46% and 0.67%. Analysts revised price targets upward, including Barclays raising its target to $580 and Wells Fargo to $595, while Stifel Nicolaus cut its target to $468. The stock maintains a "Moderate Buy" consensus rating with an average target of $538.80.

A backtested strategy of purchasing the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding for one day yielded a net profit of $2,940 from December 2022 to August 2025. The approach experienced a maximum drawdown of $1,960, representing a 19.6% peak-to-trough decline, indicating volatility despite overall gains.