Moody's Corporation (MCO) shares rose 1.5% to $468.59 as of September 18, 2026, a modest gain from the prior close of $461.88. BestStocks flagged the session as a major change for MCO. The move is tied to price move down. Below, we break down what changed for MCO, why it matters for investors, how the stock reacted, and the catalysts on the calendar.
What happened
MCO climbed 1.5% to $468.59
MCO rose 1.5% in its latest session, moving from $461.88 to $468.59.
Material / EarningsCompany-Specific MoveLow confidence
Rel. volume
1.5×
Above Avg
Vs peers
Top 2 of 7 peers
Outperforming
Market cap
$81.2B
New York Stock Exchange
Analyst target
$541
+15.4% vs price
Price chart
Aug 18 – Sep 18
E earnings
F filing
A analyst
V/N other
click a marker to highlight
Change events — click to jump to details
What it means for Moody's Corporation investors
For Moody's Corporation investors, the recent signals are mixed, leaving the near-term picture neutral / mixed. On the constructive side: Material positive event; Positive 1.5% session move. Weighing against that: Moody's announced a minority stake acquisition in Philippine Rating Services Corporation (PhilRatings), a leading domestic credit rating agency (Business Wire, Sept; Moody's Corporation (MCO) moved -2.93% from $505.37 to $490.54 on 2026-07-21. Because the move outpaced peers, it looks driven by MCO-specific developments rather than a broad sector rotation. Wall Street's consensus price target sits at $540.60, implying +15.4% upside from $468.59. BestStocks rates the overall signal quality low (55/100). With earnings roughly 40 days out, the next report is the most likely near-term test of the move.
MCO price reaction
MCO last traded at $468.59, up $6.71 (+1.45%) from the previous close of $461.88. The session traded on 1.5× average volume (above avg), so the move carried above-average conviction. Its financial services peer group moved a median -0.8% over the same stretch, leaving MCO ahead of the group by 2.2 points. Over the past month the stock has ranged between $461.88 and $514.95, and it currently sits about 13% of the way up that band.
Bullish and bearish analyst opinions on Moody's Corporation (MCO)
The consensus analyst price target on Moody's Corporation (MCO) is $540.60, 15.4% above the recent $468.59. Over the past 90 days analysts logged 0 upgrades, 7 maintains, and 0 downgrades. Here is how the bullish and bearish cases on MCO line up.
▲ The bullish case
+Wall Street's consensus price target of $540.60 implies +15.4% upside from $468.59.
+The Street's most bullish target is $597.00 (+27.4%).
+Material positive event.
+Positive 1.5% session move.
+Positive price momentum.
▼ The bearish case
−Moody's announced a minority stake acquisition in Philippine Rating Services Corporation (PhilRatings), a leading domestic credit rating agency (Business Wire, Sept.
−Moody's Corporation (MCO) moved -2.93% from $505.37 to $490.54 on 2026-07-21.
−MCO moved -3.07% from $500.49 to $485.10 on 2026-07-08.
Bull vs bear balanceNeutral / Mixed
BearishNeutralBullish
Weighing both sides, BestStocks' composite read of recent signals is roughly balanced, as the bull-versus-bear meter above shows. This is an educational summary of the bull and bear case, not investment advice.
Analyst price targets and ratings are FMP consensus figures as of Sep 18, 2026; other aggregators may differ. High and low targets show the range of estimates, not forecasts.
Moody's Corporation (MCO) moved -0.76% from $468.85 to $465.30 on 2026-09-16. We checked news, earnings, analyst updates, SEC filings, and corporate actions — no company-specific catalyst was found. The move appears to reflect sector-wide pressure: seven peers including BlackRock (BLK, -2.66%), Progressive (PGR, -1.82%), Bank of America (BAC, -2.64%), and S&P Global (SPGI, -2.81%) declined in the same direction.
Moody's announced a minority stake acquisition in Philippine Rating Services Corporation (PhilRatings), a leading domestic credit rating agency (Business Wire, Sept. 14), yet MCO fell 2.22% to $467.30. The decline occurred on below-average volume (0.55x expected at 380 minutes into session), suggesting the market reaction to the strategic expansion diverged from the positive framing of the news.
Material / Earnings2026-09-10-1.5%
Moody's Corporation (MCO) moved -1.30% from $473.52 to $467.36 on September 10, 2026. We checked news, earnings, analyst updates, filings, and corporate actions — no company-specific catalyst was found. The move appears to be part of a sector-wide decline, with four financial services peers (BlackRock -3.01%, S&P Global -4.40%, Goldman Sachs -1.62%, Morgan Stanley -1.62%) moving lower on the same day. Volume remained near its 5-day average.
Material / Earnings2026-09-09-1.4%
Moody's Corporation (MCO) moved -0.93% from $479.01 to $474.57 on 2026-09-09. We checked news, earnings announcements, analyst updates, SEC filings, and corporate actions — no company-specific catalyst was found. The decline occurred as sector peers BlackRock (BLK) and S&P Global (SPGI) fell -2.13% and -2.55% respectively, and MCO reached a new 30-day low on volume near its 5-day average.
Material / Earnings2026-08-28+1.2%
Moody's Corporation (MCO) moved +0.91% from $510.33 to $514.95 on 2026-08-28. We checked news, earnings, analyst updates, filings, and corporate actions — no company-specific catalyst was found. The move appears to be a technical advance, with MCO reaching a new 30-day high on volume near its 5-day average; sector peer Wells Fargo (WFC) moved +1.70% the same day.
Material / Earnings2026-08-26+0.3%
Moody's Corporation (MCO) moved +0.44% from $512.31 to $514.55 on 2026-08-26. We checked news, earnings announcements, analyst updates, SEC filings, and corporate actions — no company-specific catalyst was found. The move coincided with MCO reaching a new 30-day high on volume near its 5-day average.
Filings2026-08-12+0.3%
Moody's Corporation (MCO) filed a new 8-K on 2026-08-12. The filing content was not disclosed in available sources.
Moody's Corporation moved -2.78% intraday from $483.98 to $470.52. Moody's Corporation (MCO) is down about 2.59% to $471.32 on August 6, 2026, driven by a mix of recent insider selling reports and lingering macroeconomic risk-off sentiment affecting high-valuation financial and business service stocks. Moody's Corp (MCO)$471.32 -2.59% today As of Aug 6, 3:30 PM EDT • Disclaimer 10:00 AM 12:00 PM 2:00 PM 475 480 485 Prev close $483.83 Aug 6, 2026 9:35 AM - 3:30 PM 1D 5D 1M 6M YTD 1Y 5Y Max| Open 481.73 | Mkt cap $81.62B USD | 52-wk high 546.88 | | High 485.06 | P/E ratio 29.87 | 52-wk low 402.28 | | Low 471.05 | Div yield 0.87% | Market Factors and Context - Insider Activity: Recent filings showed insider share sales by executives, which can sometimes trigger short-term cautious sentiment among retail investors. - Valuation & Macro Pressures: Moody's has been trading at a relatively high price-to-earnings multiple following its strong Q2 earnings beat, making it sensitive to broader market pullbacks and profit-taking. - Sector Dynamics: Financial data and credit-rating providers have experienced bouts of volatility as investors weigh interest rate forecasts and broader macroeconomic uncertainty. If you would like, I can provide details on Moody's u
Upcoming catalysts & outlook
Next earnings
2026-10-28 (est.)
in 40 days
Earnings Release
2026-10-28
High impact
Thesis shift
Neutral / Mixed
bullish signal
Risk level
High
from change events
Frequently asked questions about MCO
Why did Moody's Corporation (MCO) stock move?
MCO rose 1.5% to $468.59. No single company-specific catalyst was confirmed during the move window, and it looks like a company-specific move.
How much did MCO stock rise?
MCO gained 1.45% ($6.71) versus the prior close of $461.88, last trading at $468.59 on 1.5× average volume.
When is Moody's Corporation's next earnings date?
MCO's next earnings report is estimated for 2026-10-28 — about 40 days away.
What is the analyst price target for MCO?
The consensus analyst price target for MCO is $540.60, about 15.4% above the current $468.59. Over the past 90 days, analysts recorded 0 upgrades, 7 maintains, and 0 downgrades.
Is the MCO move company-specific or sector-wide?
BestStocks classifies it as a company-specific move: the peer group moved a median -0.8% against MCO's +1.5%. MCO ranks top 2 of 7 peers.
How BestStocks tracks MCO
This page is generated automatically by BestStocks' change-detection system after price move down was detected and verified against independent data sources. It draws on 20 tracked change events for MCO, cross-checked against the data sources listed below. Price, volume, and market-capitalization figures are the live intraday quote as of September 18, 2026 and refresh as new information is detected; for companies with multiple share classes, market-cap figures can differ by data source. Analyst price targets and ratings are FMP consensus. This is an educational summary of what changed and why — not personalized investment advice.
