Super Investors Be Like
Warren Buffett·MOODYS CORP
MCO

Moodys — Financial Results

AI Overview

Revenue Hit $7.7 Billion, Growing 9% Across Both Business Segments

Metric20252024Change
Total Revenue$7,718M$7,088M+9%
MIS (Ratings) Revenue$4,119M$3,793M+9%
MA (Analytics) Revenue$3,599M$3,295M+9%

Both of Moody's main businesses grew at the same healthy clip. The Moody's Investors Service (MIS) ratings business benefited from a favorable debt market — companies rushed to issue bonds while credit spreads (the extra interest borrowers pay over safe government bonds) remained tight and investor appetite was strong. Moody's Analytics (MA) grew on the back of sustained demand for its insurance risk modeling, compliance tools, and credit research products.

Profit Margins Expanded Meaningfully, With Earnings Per Share Up 21%

Metric20252024Change
Operating Margin43.4%40.6%+280 basis points
Adjusted Operating Margin51.1%48.1%+300 basis points
Diluted EPS$13.67$11.26+21%

Revenue grew faster than costs — operating and SG&A expenses rose only 3% against that 9% revenue gain. MIS was particularly efficient, reaching an Adjusted Operating Margin (profit as a percentage of revenue, before depreciation and one-time items) of 63.6%. The result was a 21% jump in earnings per share (the profit attributable to each share of stock).

KYC and Insurance Are MA's Fastest-Growing Products

Product Line2025 Revenue2024 RevenueReported GrowthOrganic Growth
KYC$438M$367M+19%+17%
Insurance$685M$598M+15%+8%

KYC (Know Your Customer — tools that help businesses verify identities and screen for financial crime risk) grew 19%, driven by strong customer retention and rising demand for compliance solutions. Insurance grew 15%, powered by subscriptions to catastrophe modeling tools. Stripping out recent acquisitions, both lines still grew strongly on their own, signaling genuine underlying demand rather than purely acquisition-driven growth.

MA's Recurring Revenue Base Is Growing and Increasingly Subscription-Based

Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) — a snapshot of the annualized value of active subscription contracts — grew 8% to $3.5 billion for MA overall. Banking is actively shifting customers away from one-time transaction fees toward cloud-hosted subscriptions, which caused transaction revenue to fall 18% even as recurring banking revenue rose 9%. This transition temporarily suppresses reported revenue but builds a more predictable, subscription-based business over time.

Restructuring Costs Nearly Doubled, Signaling Ongoing Organizational Change

Restructuring charges rose from $59 million in 2024 to $108 million in 2025 — an 83% increase. These costs relate to the company's Strategic and Operational Efficiency Restructuring Program, which still has $110–$130 million in future cash outlays expected through 2027. The program is designed to generate cost savings that have already contributed to margin expansion, but the spending is not yet finished.

Free Cash Flow Remained Strong; Capital Returned to Shareholders

Metric20252024
Free Cash Flow$2,575M$2,521M
Share Repurchase Authority Remaining$4.0B

Free Cash Flow (operating cash after capital spending) held steady at $2.6 billion. The company repaid $700 million of debt, increased share buybacks, and the board approved a fresh $4.0 billion share repurchase authorization in October 2025. The quarterly dividend was set at $1.03 per share in early 2026, up from prior levels.