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Moody's Corporation (MCO) is a leading provider of credit ratings, market data, and analytics. This analysis assesses Moody's as a growth stock, focusing on its revenue growth, market position, valuation, and associated risks, utilizing a blend of quantitative data and qualitative insights to provide a comprehensive evaluation.
Moody's has demonstrated consistent revenue growth, with a 4.4% year-over-year increase in the latest quarter, reaching $1.9 billion. This growth is supported by a 7% increase in recurring revenue within Moody's Investor Service (MIS) and an 11% increase in Moody's Analytics (MA). The company's adjusted diluted EPS guidance implies a 10% growth versus last year, indicating a solid financial trajectory. However, MIS revenue was flat year-on-year, suggesting that growth is primarily driven by MA.
Moody's is strategically positioned to capitalize on growth opportunities in private credit and GenAI-enabled solutions. The company's acquisition of ICR Chile strengthens its presence in Latin America, while partnerships with Microsoft and MSCI enhance its data analytics capabilities. Management expresses confidence in sustained demand and pipeline growth, particularly in GenAI-enabled products and private credit, indicating a proactive approach to market leadership. However, analysts remain cautiously optimistic, probing for more detail on ARR growth drivers and the sustainability of these growth areas.
Moody's stock has shown mixed performance, with a recent slip of 0.6% following the Q2 2025 earnings release. The stock's quant rating history indicates a shift from 'Sell' to 'Hold' in recent months, reflecting some recovery in investor sentiment. However, the stock's valuation grade remains at 'F', suggesting that its current price may not be justified by its financial metrics.
Moody's faces several risks, including macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, potential headwinds in Decision Solutions, and the risk of private credit growth outpacing risk management capabilities. Management acknowledges potential risks from tariffs, central bank interest rate policy, and inflation. Analyst questions reflect concern over attrition events in KYC and insurance, indicating potential vulnerabilities in specific business areas.
Moody's is actively innovating with GenAI, integrating it into approximately 40% of MA's products by ARR. This integration has led to increased customer engagement and spending, with GenAI adopters spending twice as much as non-adopters. The company's partnership with MSCI to quantify risk in the private credit market further demonstrates its commitment to innovation and expanding its product pipeline.
Moody's operates in a competitive market, primarily against S&P Global. Mizuho Securities initiated coverage on Moody's with a Neutral rating, highlighting S&P Global's wider portfolio of data products and services and more active M&A strategy. While Moody's leverages its brand and customer relationships, it faces competition in data products and services.
Moody's performance is sensitive to macroeconomic factors, including tariffs, central bank interest rate policy, and M&A activity. Management cited these uncertainties as risks, and analyst questions reflected concern over potential headwinds in Decision Solutions. The company's ability to navigate these macro factors will be crucial for sustaining growth.
Moody's operates in a large and growing market, particularly in private credit and GenAI-enabled solutions. The company's focus on leveraging innovation and operational rigor positions it to capture multiyear demand across ratings and analytics. The increasing role of private credit in sectors like AI data center investment and transition finance provides a significant market opportunity.
The news provides no indication of geopolitical or ownership risks for Moody's.
Moody's Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm worldwide. It operates in two segments, Moody's Analytics and Moody's Investors Services. The Moody's Analytics segment develops a range of products and services that support the risk management activities of institutional participants in financial markets. It offers credit research, credit models and analytics, economics data and models, and structured finance solutions; data sets on companies and securities; and SaaS solutions ...