Moody's Corporation management check
MCO · Financials · Financial Exchanges & Data · CEO Robert Fauber
Filings as of
4 good · 3 to watch · 0 flagged, across the seven questions below.
- Watch
Have owners done well?
Trailed its chosen peers$100 invested at the start of fiscal 2021 grew to $183, against $216 for the peer group the company picked itself.
- Good
Does pay follow performance?
Pay rose and fell with returnsOver 5 years, the CEO's pay actually paid (equity valued at the share price) had a correlation of 0.87 with shareholder return. 1 means pay moved in step; below 0, the opposite way.
- Good
What does the CEO cost owners?
0.7% of net income$18.1m of reported pay in fiscal 2025, against $2.5bn of net income.
- Watch
Do they own the stock?
CEO stake ≈ 1.3 years of payThe CEO holds 51,986.918 shares, directly or through trusts (unvested awards not counted): about 1.3 years of pay. Light activity: no buys, $4.1m sold in six months. 15 of 15 sales ran on pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
- Good
Are owners being diluted?
Share count shrinkingDiluted shares changed -1.1% a year over the last three fiscal years. Stock-based pay was 3.0% of revenue in the latest year.
- Watch
Is leadership stable?
11 leadership filings in 3 years11 filings under 8-K item 5.02 (officers or directors leaving or joining, or new pay arrangements) in the last 3 years.
- Good
Are the books clean?
No red flags on fileNo restatements, auditor changes or late filings since 2021.
Against the S&P 500
Each check's score (0–100) and how it compares: the share of ranked S&P 500 companies it matches or beats, and the median in Financials.
| Check | Score | At or above | Sector median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner returns | 31 | 49 | |
| Pay for performance | 94 | 83 | |
| CEO cost | 61 | 67 | |
| Skin in the game | 41 | 51 | |
| Dilution | 64 | 69 | |
| Stable leadership | 70 | 80 | |
| Clean books | 100 | 100 |
Closest peers
Others in Financial Exchanges & Data, by management score. Moody's Corporation is 41st of 72 in its sector.
- 84SPGIS&P Global78
- 201ICEIntercontinental Exchange68
- 221CMECME Group67
- 222CBOECboe Global Markets67
- 230MCOMoody's Corporation66
- 234NDAQNasdaq, Inc.66
- 241MSCIMSCI65
- 366COINCoinbase57
- 404FDSFactSet53
Pay versus performance
From the proxy statement filed March 4, 2026. "Actually paid" values stock awards at the share price, so it rises and falls with the stock.
| Fiscal year | CEO | CEO pay | Actually paid | Other executives (avg) | $100 became | Peers | Net income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | $18.1m | $26.3m | $5.0m | $183 | $216 | $2.5bn |
| 2024 | — | $17.0m | $35.3m | $7.1m | $169 | $187 | $2.1bn |
| 2023 | — | $14.4m | $23.5m | $2.9m | $138 | $144 | $1.6bn |
| 2022 | — | $11.6m | −$4.7m | $3.2m | $98 | $118 | $1.4bn |
| 2021 | — | $9.8m | $21.6m | $3.1m | $136 | $138 | $2.2bn |
The board says pay is tied most to MCO EPS for Compensation Purposes. Its other key measures: MIS Operating Income, MA Operating Income, MA ARR, MA Cumulative Revenue, MIS Ratings Performance.
Insiders and the CEO's stake
Robert Fauber (President and CEO) held 51,986.918 shares directly after their latest Form 4 on Oct 1, 2026, roughly $23.7m at that filing's price.
Light activity: no buys, $4.1m sold in six months. 15 of 15 sales ran on pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
- SoldRobert FauberPresident and CEO · 10b5-1 plan$3.9mOct 1, 2026
- SoldRichard G SteeleSVP - General Counsel · 10b5-1 plan$217kJul 1, 2026
Leadership and governance on file
- Oct 15, 2026Leadership change8-K/A 5.02
- Aug 12, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jan 12, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Dec 19, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Aug 21, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jul 21, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jul 16, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Mar 11, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 12, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 23, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 13, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Aug 4, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
Latest shareholder vote results: Apr 16, 2026, including the say-on-pay vote.
Where the money went
Over 2021–2025: $8.0bn returned to owners in buybacks and dividends, 82% of net income, and $989.0m of pay in stock.
| Fiscal year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $6.2bn | $5.5bn | $5.9bn | $7.1bn | $7.7bn |
| Net income | $2.2bn | $1.4bn | $1.6bn | $2.1bn | $2.5bn |
| Stock-based pay | $175.0m | $169.0m | $193.0m | $220.0m | $232.0m |
| Buybacks | $750.0m | $983.0m | $490.0m | $1.3bn | $1.6bn |
| Dividends | $463.0m | $515.0m | $564.0m | $620.0m | $701.0m |
| Diluted shares | 188m | 185m | 184m | 183m | 180m |
Educational only, not investment advice. Figures are as filed with the SEC: pay from the proxy's pay-versus-performance table, capital allocation from 10-K XBRL data, insider trades from Form 4s over the last six months, events from the last 5 years of filings. The peer group is the one the company chose. See the method.