Moody's (MCO Quick QuoteMCO - Free Report) reported $2.01 billion in revenue for the quarter ended September 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 10.7%. EPS of $3.92 for the same period compares to $3.21 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +2.15% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.96 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $3.70, the EPS surprise was +5.95%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Moody's performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Revenue- Total external customers- Moody's Analytics: $909 million compared to the $908.32 million average estimate based on six analysts. The reported number represents a change of +9.4% year over year.
• Revenue- Total external customers- Moody's investor services: $1.1 billion versus $1.06 billion estimated by six analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +11.8% change.
• Revenue- Moody's Analytics- Research and Insights: $252 million compared to the $253.52 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +7.2% year over year.
• Revenue- Moody's Analytics- Data and Information: $233 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $228.74 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +9.4%.
• Revenue- Moody's Analytics- Decision Solutions: $424 million versus $423.47 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +10.7% change.
• Revenue- Moody's investor services- Financial institutions: $208 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $174.61 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +22.4%.
• Revenue- Moody's investor services- Public, project and infrastructure finance: $161 million versus $158.83 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +4.6% change.
• Revenue- Moody's Analytics: $912 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $909.52 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +9.4%.
• Revenue- Moody's investor services: $1.15 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $1.12 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +11.5%.
• Revenue- Eliminations: $-53 million compared to the $-51.87 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +3.9% year over year.
• Revenue- Moody's investor services- Structured finance: $146 million compared to the $147.38 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +8.2% year over year.
• Revenue- Moody's investor services- Corporate finance: $576 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $581.66 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +11.8%.

View all Key Company Metrics for Moody's here>>>

Shares of Moody's have returned +1.7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1.1% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.