Does Moody’s HQ Move And Record Quarter Redefine The Bull Case For MCO?

• Earlier this week, Moody’s Corporation said it will relocate its global headquarters to 200 Liberty Street at Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan by 2027, as part of a broader global office enhancement program spanning cities such as London, Sydney, Tokyo, Milan and Washington, D.C.
• This move, alongside a recent quarter of record US$2.01 billion revenue, 11% year-over-year growth and higher adjusted margins, underlines how Moody’s is pairing physical workplace upgrades with strong operating performance in its core ratings and analytics franchise.
• We’ll now examine how Moody’s record quarterly results and margin improvement may influence its existing investment narrative and outlook.

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Moody's Investment Narrative Recap

To own Moody’s, you need to believe its core ratings and analytics will stay central to global capital markets, while its AI and private credit offerings extend that relevance. The headquarters move itself looks more symbolic than material to near term catalysts such as private credit growth and margin expansion, and it does little to change the key risk around rising regulatory and political scrutiny, particularly on newer, less transparent credit segments.

The most relevant recent development alongside the headquarters news is Moody’s record Q3 2025 results, with US$2.01 billion in revenue and a 500 basis point jump in adjusted operating margins to 53%. This reinforces the current catalyst of strong operating leverage in higher margin ratings activity, even as investors weigh evolving regulatory risks and growing competition from data rich and AI driven alternatives.

Yet beneath this strong quarter, investors should be aware of how intensifying regulatory scrutiny of private credit could...

Read the full narrative on Moody's (it's free!)

Moody's narrative projects $9.0 billion revenue and $3.0 billion earnings by 2028.

Uncover how Moody's forecasts yield a $545.50 fair value, a 5% upside to its current price.

Exploring Other Perspectives

Seven members of the Simply Wall St Community currently estimate Moody’s fair value between US$325 and US$546, showing how far opinions can spread. You can set those views against Moody’s recent record margins and growing exposure to fast evolving private credit markets as you consider the company’s potential performance.

Explore 7 other fair value estimates on Moody's - why the stock might be worth as much as 5% more than the current price!

Build Your Own Moody's Narrative

Disagree with existing narratives? Create your own in under 3 minutes - extraordinary investment returns rarely come from following the herd.

• A great starting point for your Moody's research is our analysis highlighting 2 key rewards and 1 important warning sign that could impact your investment decision.
• Our free Moody's research report provides a comprehensive fundamental analysis summarized in a single visual - the Snowflake - making it easy to evaluate Moody's overall financial health at a glance.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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