Moody's Corporation · MCO · FY2025 Q2 · Calendar Q3 2025
Moody's Maintains Guidance as Private Credit and Analytics Lead Growth
The supplied analysis supports a constructive but qualified view: private credit, Moody's Analytics, and AI-enabled products are strengthening growth, while issuance volatility, attrition, regulatory scrutiny, and execution risks temper the case for durable earnings expansion.
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensusMarket reaction
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Transcript intelligence
What changed
Compared with the prior quarter, management's tone shifted from cautious to confident and guidance moved from lowered to maintained. Private-credit revenue growth, Analytics margin expansion, and additional partnerships and acquisitions strengthened the growth narrative, while KYC and insurance attrition became clearer risks.
Guidance delta
Guidance was maintained, improving from the prior quarter's lowered and widened outlook. Management projected low-to-mid single-digit MIS revenue growth and approximately 10% EPS growth at the midpoint.
Key takeaways
- Management described private credit as a major growth driver, with revenue up 75% year over year and 25% of first-time mandates.
- Moody's Analytics revenue grew 11% and ARR grew 8%, while its adjusted operating margin expanded to 32.1%.
- Full-year guidance was reaffirmed, including low-to-mid single-digit MIS revenue growth and approximately 10% EPS growth at the midpoint.
- Management highlighted GenAI rollout, strategic partnerships, and acquisitions as product and market-expansion priorities.
Management priorities
- Continue rolling out GenAI capabilities, targeting 40% of products by year-end.
- Launch the SAP Business Data Cloud dashboard in Q4 and expand data integrations.
- Integrate Numerated AI into CreditLens and broaden lending-solution adoption.
- Accelerate CAPE Analytics integration into the Intelligent Risk Platform.
- Expand Moody's Local presence in Latin America following the ICR Chile acquisition.
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Analyst 52W Price Targets
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 9, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Stanley | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Mizuho | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 27, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Baird | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jul 23, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jul 20, 2026 |
| Barclays | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jul 10, 2026 |
| BMO Capital | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Jul 7, 2026 |
| UBS | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Stifel | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI Group | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Goldman Sachs | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 9, 2026 |
| Daiwa Capital | Outperform | Neutral | Upgrade | Jan 13, 2026 |
| Raymond James | Market Perform | Underperform | Upgrade | Oct 17, 2025 |
| RBC Capital | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Oct 9, 2025 |
| Deutsche Bank | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Oct 1, 2025 |
| Oppenheimer | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jul 24, 2025 |
| B of A Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 16, 2024 |
| Credit Suisse | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Apr 26, 2023 |
| Argus Research | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Nov 2, 2022 |
| Atlantic Equities | Neutral | Overweight | Downgrade | Jun 8, 2022 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Feb 13, 2020 |
| Cantor Fitzgerald | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Feb 13, 2020 |
| PiperJaffray | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Apr 5, 2019 |
| Piper Sandler | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Apr 5, 2019 |
| Nomura | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 9, 2018 |
| Argus | Buy | Buy | Maintain | May 5, 2018 |
| FBR Capital | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Feb 8, 2016 |
| Janney Capital | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Mar 28, 2014 |
| Benchmark | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Oct 28, 2013 |
| Lazard | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Sep 25, 2013 |
| William Blair | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Sep 9, 2013 |
| BTIG Research | Sell | Sell | Maintain | Jul 11, 2012 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $463.72. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Stanley | Toni Kaplan | $470 | $452.32 | +1.4% | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Sean Kennedy | $530 | $488.89 | +14.3% | Jul 27, 2026 |
| UBS | Alex Kramm | $505 | $473.95 | +8.9% | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Robert W. Baird | Analyst unavailable | $572 | $477.81 | +23.4% | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $597 | $489.79 | +28.7% | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $512 | $489.79 | +10.4% | Jul 22, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $575 | $487.02 | +24.0% | Jul 10, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $496 | $502.26 | +7.0% | Jul 7, 2026 |
| BMO Capital | Analyst unavailable | $515 | $498.78 | +11.1% | Jul 7, 2026 |
| Redburn Partners | Charles Bendit | $500 | $456.22 | +7.8% | Jun 18, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $521 | $460.74 | +12.4% | Apr 28, 2026 |
| Wolfe Research | Scott Wurtzel | $535 | $451.74 | +15.4% | Apr 23, 2026 |
| BMO Capital | Analyst unavailable | $489 | $454.18 | +5.5% | Apr 23, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $590 | $466.88 | +27.2% | Apr 23, 2026 |
| National Bank | Analyst unavailable | $565 | $466.88 | +21.8% | Apr 22, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $524 | $437.11 | +13.0% | Feb 24, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $550 | $447.82 | +18.6% | Feb 23, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $490 | $442.78 | +5.7% | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | David Motemaden | $610 | $448.74 | +31.5% | Feb 19, 2026 |
| BMO Capital | Analyst unavailable | $480 | $450.76 | +3.5% | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Analyst unavailable | $540 | $450.76 | +16.4% | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Goldman Sachs | Analyst unavailable | $531 | $450.76 | +14.5% | Feb 18, 2026 |
| Goldman Sachs | Analyst unavailable | $532 | $452.49 | +14.7% | Feb 9, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Toni Kaplan | $526 | $535.12 | +13.4% | Jan 13, 2026 |
| Daiwa | Kazuya Nishimura | $590 | $535.12 | +27.2% | Jan 13, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Analyst unavailable | $620 | $533.78 | +33.7% | Jan 8, 2026 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Shlomo Rosenbaum | $574 | $498.98 | +23.8% | Jan 5, 2026 |
| Goldman Sachs | Analyst unavailable | $570 | $487.37 | +22.9% | Dec 16, 2025 |
| Mizuho Securities | Sean Kennedy | $550 | $494.44 | +18.6% | Oct 28, 2025 |
| BMO Capital | Analyst unavailable | $507 | $471.75 | +9.3% | Oct 23, 2025 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Analyst unavailable | $471 | $472.79 | +1.6% | Oct 23, 2025 |
| Wells Fargo | Jason Haas | $620 | $472.79 | +33.7% | Oct 23, 2025 |
| BMO Capital | Jeffrey Silber | $521 | $478.51 | +12.4% | Oct 16, 2025 |
| Mizuho Securities | Sean Kennedy | $539 | $478.51 | +16.2% | Oct 16, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $520 | $490.09 | +12.1% | Oct 9, 2025 |
| Seaport Global | Analyst unavailable | $528 | $476.48 | +13.9% | Oct 1, 2025 |
| Deutsche Bank | Faiza Alwy | $528 | $476.48 | +13.9% | Oct 1, 2025 |
| BMO Capital | Jeffrey Silber | $456 | $430.77 | -1.7% | Apr 23, 2025 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $520 | $402.43 | +12.1% | Apr 4, 2025 |
| Oppenheimer | Owen Lau | $545 | $476.27 | +17.5% | Jan 3, 2025 |
| Oppenheimer | Owen Lau | $543 | $467.73 | +17.1% | Oct 23, 2024 |
| Robert W. Baird | Jeffrey Meuler | $512 | $467.73 | +10.4% | Oct 23, 2024 |
| BMO Capital | Jeffrey Silber | $464 | $479.44 | +0.1% | Oct 15, 2024 |
| Oppenheimer | Owen Lau | $536 | $470.19 | +15.6% | Oct 3, 2024 |
| Evercore ISI | David Motemeden | $521 | $471.4 | +12.4% | Oct 1, 2024 |
| UBS | Alex Kramm | $470 | $451.89 | +1.4% | Jul 24, 2024 |
| Robert W. Baird | Jeffrey Meuler | $490 | $451.89 | +5.7% | Jul 24, 2024 |
| UBS | Alex Kramm | $455 | $435.58 | -1.9% | Jul 9, 2024 |
| Oppenheimer | Owen Lau | $454 | $420.93 | -2.1% | Jul 1, 2024 |
| RBC Capital | Ashish Sabadra | $450 | $412.02 | -3.0% | May 16, 2024 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Shlomo Rosenbaum | $374 | $387.7 | -19.3% | May 7, 2024 |
| Oppenheimer | Owen Lau | $424 | $393.89 | -8.6% | Apr 2, 2024 |
| Barclays | Manav Patnaik | $450 | $393.89 | -3.0% | Apr 2, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | George Tong | $412 | $393.03 | -11.2% | Apr 1, 2024 |
| Oppenheimer | Owen Lau | $362 | $341.49 | -21.9% | Jul 7, 2023 |
| Oppenheimer | Analyst unavailable | $342 | $319.98 | -26.2% | Feb 1, 2023 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $300 | $322.75 | -35.3% | Feb 1, 2023 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $293 | $284.96 | -36.8% | Jan 4, 2023 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $294 | $293.16 | -36.6% | Dec 6, 2022 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $275 | $306.08 | -40.7% | Dec 2, 2022 |
| Goldman Sachs | Analyst unavailable | $295 | $297.54 | -36.4% | Nov 23, 2022 |
| Oppenheimer | Analyst unavailable | $310 | $294.36 | -33.1% | Nov 23, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $271 | $289.37 | -41.6% | Nov 17, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $281 | $250.3 | -39.4% | Oct 3, 2022 |
| Goldman Sachs | Analyst unavailable | $263 | $245 | -43.3% | Oct 3, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $288 | $251.4 | -37.9% | Sep 27, 2022 |
| Oppenheimer | Analyst unavailable | $348 | $313.94 | -25.0% | Aug 19, 2022 |
| BMO Capital | Analyst unavailable | $352 | $324.6 | -24.1% | Aug 15, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $283 | $286.17 | -39.0% | Jul 27, 2022 |
| Raymond James | Analyst unavailable | $321 | $286.57 | -30.8% | Jul 27, 2022 |
| Raymond James | Analyst unavailable | $327 | $280.95 | -29.5% | Jul 12, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $298 | $282.99 | -35.7% | Jul 7, 2022 |
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $329 | $284.53 | -29.1% | Jun 7, 2022 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $288 | $285.28 | -37.9% | Jun 6, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $324 | $289.49 | -30.1% | Jun 2, 2022 |
| BMO Capital | Analyst unavailable | $309 | $281.11 | -33.4% | Jun 2, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $305 | $282.38 | -34.2% | Jun 2, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $372 | $304.6 | -19.8% | May 3, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $318 | $302.09 | -31.4% | May 3, 2022 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $350 | $301.13 | -24.5% | May 3, 2022 |
| Credit Suisse | Analyst unavailable | $350 | $303.06 | -24.5% | May 3, 2022 |
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $344 | $301.13 | -25.8% | May 3, 2022 |
| Raymond James | Analyst unavailable | $364 | $301.13 | -21.5% | May 3, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Toni Kaplan | $318 | $309.42 | -31.4% | May 3, 2022 |
| Robert W. Baird | Jeffrey Meuler | $342 | $301.13 | -26.2% | May 2, 2022 |
| BMO Capital | Jeffrey Silber | $375 | $322.42 | -19.1% | Apr 23, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Faiza Alwy | $408 | $340.33 | -12.0% | Apr 3, 2022 |
| BMO Capital | Jeffrey Silber | $365 | $304.47 | -21.3% | Mar 12, 2022 |
| Robert W. Baird | Jeffrey Meuler | $363 | $314 | -21.7% | Mar 10, 2022 |
| RBC Capital | Ashish Sabadra | $403 | $314 | -13.1% | Mar 10, 2022 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Shlomo Rosenbaum | $385 | $325.84 | -17.0% | Mar 4, 2022 |
| BMO Capital | Jeffrey Silber | $402 | $323.58 | -13.3% | Feb 21, 2022 |
| Goldman Sachs | George Tong | $396 | $376.52 | -14.6% | Jul 28, 2021 |
| Argus Research | John Eade | $375 | $326.25 | -19.1% | May 5, 2021 |
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Start freeCompany context
Snapshot as of publicationMoody's Corporation operates as a global leader in risk assessment, divided into two main segments: Moody's Investors Service and Moody's Analytics. Moody's Investors Service is dedicated to issuing credit ratings and providing detailed assessments for a diverse range of debt obligations and the entities that issue them. This encompasses corporate, financial institution, governmental, and structured finance securities across approximately 140 nations. These ratings are made publicly available through press releases, digital media, and real-time financial information systems.…
Historical context
All MCO earningsFinancial Services peers this season
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| TD The Toronto-Dominion Bank | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q3 2026 | +13.8% | +1.4% | TD emphasizes growth investments alongside disciplined capital management |
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Sources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:55.686058+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-09T18:00:44.309074+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-09T18:00:44.306314+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-09. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.