# Moody’s Shares Rise After Q3 Earnings and Revenue Miss Estimates

By John Kim

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/37133
Published: 2026-10-21T23:08:07.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-21T23:08:07.000Z
Section: Business

> Revenue grew 1% year over year, and the company reaffirmed its full-year outlook. Shares recovered from an early decline to finish higher Wednesday.

Moody’s Corporation shares finished higher Wednesday, Oct. 21, after the company reported third-quarter adjusted earnings and revenue below analyst estimates. The stock fell nearly 3% in premarket trading and reached an intraday low about 4% below its previous close before recovering.

Adjusted diluted earnings were $4.14 per share, compared with analyst estimates of $4.24 to $4.25. Revenue totaled $2.023 billion, below estimates ranging from $2.06 billion to $2.08 billion. Revenue increased 1% from a year earlier, while adjusted earnings per share rose 6%.

Diluted earnings, which are reported separately from the adjusted figure, were $4.24 per share, up 18% year over year. Both sets of figures cover the three months ended Sept. 30.

Performance differed between Moody’s two businesses. Moody’s Investors Service revenue declined 1% to $1.087 billion, primarily reflecting lower leveraged finance issuance against a record year-earlier comparison. Investment-grade revenue rose 18%, supported by large corporate financing activity that included AI-related financing and hyperscaler investments.

Moody’s Analytics revenue increased 3% to $936 million. Its annualized recurring revenue grew 8% to $3.688 billion.

The company kept its 2026 adjusted diluted earnings outlook at $16.50 to $17 per share and maintained its forecast for revenue growth in the high-single-digit percentage range. The $16.75 midpoint is below the $16.90 analyst consensus.

President and CEO Rob Fauber said customers value Moody’s “independent insights and connected intelligence” in markets like these.