Empresas y finanzas

Moody's Corporation Reports Results for First Quarter 2007



    Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) today announced results for the
    first quarter 2007.

    Summary of Results for First Quarter 2007

    Moody's reported revenue of $583.0 million for the three months
    ended March 31, 2007, an increase of 32% from $440.2 million for the
    same quarter of 2006. Operating income for the quarter was $304.7
    million and rose 28% from $238.3 million for the same period of last
    year. Diluted earnings per share were $0.62 for the first quarter of
    2007, 27% higher than $0.49 in the first quarter of 2006.

    Raymond McDaniel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented,
    "Moody's achieved strong results for the first quarter of 2007. All
    major business units and geographic regions delivered double-digit
    percent revenue growth, led by strong gains in both global structured
    finance and corporate finance ratings. Looking forward, we expect that
    Moody's will generate results for the remainder of 2007 in line with
    the outlook that we provided at the beginning of this year."

    First Quarter Revenue

    Revenue at Moody's Investors Service for the first quarter of 2007
    was $547.4 million, an increase of 34% from the prior year period.
    Foreign currency translation positively impacted operating results,
    increasing revenue growth by approximately 240 basis points and
    operating income growth by a similar amount. Ratings revenue totaled
    $472.4 million in the quarter, rising 36% from a year ago. Research
    revenue of $75.0 million was 25% higher than in the first quarter of
    2006.

    Within the ratings business, global structured finance revenue
    totaled $251.5 million for the first quarter of 2007, an increase of
    44% from a year earlier. U.S. structured finance revenue rose 45%,
    driven by growth across most asset classes with strong results from
    rating commercial mortgage-backed securities and exceptional growth
    from credit derivatives ratings. International structured finance
    revenue rose 43%, benefiting from broad-based growth across all asset
    classes, particularly from credit derivatives and residential
    mortgage-backed securities ratings.

    Global corporate finance revenue of $114.8 million in the first
    quarter of 2007 rose 40% from the same quarter of 2006. Revenue in the
    U.S. rose 52% from the prior year period reflecting significant growth
    in rating fees related to syndicated bank loans and high yield bonds.
    Outside the U.S., corporate finance revenue increased 19%.

    Global financial institutions and sovereigns revenue of $76.7
    million increased 16% for the first quarter of 2007. Financial
    institutions revenue in the U.S. rose 13% due to strong issuance by
    insurance companies and good growth in the finance and securities
    sectors, somewhat offset by weaker issuance in the real estate sector.
    Outside the U.S., revenue rose 19%, reflecting solid growth in the
    European banking and insurance sectors due to strong issuance, and
    good growth in new rating relationships, offset by a modest decline in
    revenue from rating local government debt.

    U.S. public finance revenue was $29.4 million for the first
    quarter of 2007, 15% higher than in the first quarter of 2006,
    reflecting higher-than-expected refundings and new money issuance
    fueled by an unanticipated increase in issuance by state and local
    governments.

    Moody's global research revenue rose to $75.0 million, up 25% from
    the same quarter of 2006. The quarter's growth was driven by higher
    revenue in each of Moody's research product areas, including core
    research related to credit ratings, as well as economic analysis
    services, data licensing, and credit training. In addition, the unit
    produced strong revenue growth from new data and analytic products.

    Revenue at Moody's KMV ("MKMV") for the first quarter of 2007 was
    $35.6 million, 10% higher than in the first quarter of 2006. Revenue
    from risk product subscriptions grew 13% and revenue from professional
    services grew 20%. Revenue from licensing of credit processing
    software and the related software maintenance fees was essentially
    flat versus the prior year period.

    Moody's U.S. revenue of $378.6 million for the first quarter of
    2007 was up 36% from the first quarter of 2006. International revenue
    of $204.4 million was 27% higher than in the prior year period and
    included approximately 590 basis points of positive impact from
    currency translation. International revenue accounted for 35% of
    Moody's total in the quarter compared with 37% in the year-ago period.

    First Quarter Expenses

    Moody's operating expenses were $278.3 million in the first
    quarter of 2007, 38% higher than in the prior year period. About
    two-thirds of the increase was driven by higher personnel costs while
    the remaining one-third was largely driven by additional lease expense
    primarily related to Moody's headquarters move later this year and
    incremental technology investments. Moody's operating margin for the
    first quarter of 2007 was 52.3%, 180 basis points lower than the prior
    year period.

    First Quarter Effective Tax Rate

    Moody's effective tax rate was 41.8% for the first quarter of 2007
    compared with 39.5% for the prior year period. The increase was due
    primarily to the favorable settlement of state tax audits in the prior
    year and incremental tax expense in the first quarter of this year
    associated with the adoption of FASB Interpretation No. 48 "Accounting
    for Uncertainty in Income Taxes" effective January 1, 2007.

    Share Repurchases

    During the first quarter of 2007, Moody's repurchased 6.8 million
    shares at a total cost of $442.6 million and issued 2.2 million shares
    under employee stock-based compensation plans. First quarter share
    repurchases were funded using a combination of excess free cash and
    $80 million financed by Moody's revolving credit facility. Since
    becoming a public company in October 2000 and through March 31, 2007,
    Moody's has repurchased 91.2 million shares at a total cost of $3.3
    billion, including 40.8 million shares to offset shares issued under
    employee stock plans. At quarter-end, Moody's had $1.3 billion of
    share repurchase authority remaining under the current $2 billion
    program.

    Assumptions and Outlook for Full Year 2007

    Moody's outlook for 2007 is based on assumptions about many
    macroeconomic and capital market factors, including interest rates,
    corporate profitability and business investment spending, merger and
    acquisition activity, consumer spending, residential mortgage
    borrowing and refinancing activity and securitization levels. There is
    an important degree of uncertainty surrounding these assumptions and,
    if actual conditions differ from these assumptions, Moody's results
    for the year may differ from our current outlook.

    For Moody's overall, we project low-teens percent revenue growth
    for the full year 2007. This growth assumes foreign currency
    translation in 2007 at current exchange rates. We continue to expect
    the full-year operating margin, excluding the one-time gain on the
    sale of Moody's 99 Church Street building from 2006 results, to
    decline by approximately 150 basis points in 2007 compared with 2006.
    This reflects investments to sustain business growth including:
    international expansion, improving our analytical processes, pursuing
    ratings transparency and compliance initiatives, introducing new
    products, improving our technology infrastructure and relocating
    Moody's headquarters in New York City. We expect our quarterly
    spending pattern to differ from previous years, which could result in
    quarterly operating margins that differ materially from our full-year
    expectations. On a GAAP basis, diluted earnings per share in 2007 are
    still projected to be modestly lower compared to 2006. However,
    excluding the one-time gain on the building sale from 2006 results, we
    continue to project low-double-digit percent growth in 2007 diluted
    earnings per share.

    In the U.S., we still project low-double-digit percent revenue
    growth for the Moody's Investors Service ratings and research business
    for the full year 2007. In the U.S. structured finance business, we
    now expect revenue for the year to rise in the high-single-digit
    percent range, including solid double-digit year-over-year percent
    growth in revenue from credit derivatives and commercial
    mortgage-backed securities ratings, partially offset by a decline in
    revenue from residential mortgage-backed securities ratings, including
    home equity securitization, in the low-teens percent range, which is a
    greater decline than the mid-single digit percent decline originally
    forecast.

    In the U.S. corporate finance business, we now expect revenue
    growth in the mid-twenties percent range for the year, up from our
    previous expectation of low double-digit percent growth, largely due
    to a higher volume of leveraged transactions than previously
    anticipated.

    In the U.S. financial institutions sector, we continue to expect
    revenue to grow in the low-teens percent range. For the U.S. public
    finance sector, we continue to forecast revenue for 2007 to grow
    modestly despite better performance in the first quarter, due to a
    softening of issuance in certain sectors, including healthcare, higher
    education and infrastructure. We continue to expect growth in the U.S.
    research business to be about twenty percent.

    Outside the U.S. we still expect ratings revenue to grow in the
    high-teens percent range with high-teens percent growth across all
    major business lines, led by corporate finance revenue growth in
    Europe and Asia, financial institutions growth in Europe, and growth
    in international structured finance. We also now project growth in the
    low twenties percent range for international research revenue.

    For Moody's KMV globally, we continue to expect growth in sales
    and revenue from credit risk assessment subscription products, credit
    decision processing software, and professional services. This should
    result in low-double-digit percent growth in revenue with greater
    growth in profitability.

    Moody's will host its second annual Investor Day on Tuesday, June
    5, 2007 in New York City. The event will be webcast for anyone who
    cannot attend in person. Details will be posted next month on
    "ir.moodys.com".

    Moody's is an essential component of the global capital markets.
    It provides credit ratings, research, tools and analysis that help to
    protect the integrity of credit. Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) is
    the parent company of Moody's Investors Service, which provides credit
    ratings and research covering debt instruments and securities; Moody's
    KMV, a provider of quantitative credit analysis tools; Moody's
    Economy.com, which provides economic research and data services, and
    Moody's Wall Street Analytics, a provider of software tools and
    analysis for the structured finance industry. The corporation, which
    reported revenue of $2.0 billion in 2006, employs approximately 3,500
    people worldwide and maintains a presence in 27 countries. Further
    information is available at www.moodys.com.

    "Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
    Reform Act of 1995

    Certain statements contained in this release are forward-looking
    statements and are based on future expectations, plans and prospects
    for Moody's business and operations that involve a number of risks and
    uncertainties. The forward-looking statements and other information
    are made as of April 25, 2007, and the Company disclaims any duty to
    supplement, update or revise such statements on a going-forward basis,
    whether as a result of subsequent developments, changed expectations
    or otherwise. In connection with the "safe harbor" provisions of the
    Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Company is
    identifying certain factors that could cause actual results to differ,
    perhaps materially, from those indicated by these forward-looking
    statements. Those factors include, but are not limited to, changes in
    the volume of debt securities issued in domestic and/or global capital
    markets; changes in interest rates and other volatility in the
    financial markets; possible loss of market share through competition;
    introduction of competing products or technologies by other companies;
    pricing pressures from competitors and/or customers; the potential
    emergence of government-sponsored credit rating agencies; proposed
    U.S., foreign, state and local legislation and regulations, including
    those relating to Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating
    Organizations; possible judicial decisions in various jurisdictions
    regarding the status of and potential liabilities of rating agencies;
    the possible loss of key employees to investment or commercial banks
    or elsewhere and related compensation cost pressures; the outcome of
    any review by controlling tax authorities of the Company's global tax
    planning initiatives; the outcome of those tax and legal contingencies
    that relate to Old D&B, its predecessors and their affiliated
    companies for which the Company has assumed portions of the financial
    responsibility; the outcome of other legal actions to which the
    Company, from time to time, may be named as a party; the ability of
    the Company to successfully integrate acquired businesses; a decline
    in the demand for credit risk management tools by financial
    institutions; and other risk factors as discussed in the Company's
    annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and in
    other filings made by the Company from time to time with the
    Securities and Exchange Commission.

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    Moody's Corporation
    Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

    Three Months Ended
    March 31,
    ---------------------
    2007 2006
    Amounts in millions, except per share amounts
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Revenue $ 583.0 $ 440.2
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Expenses

    Operating, selling, general and administrative
    expenses 268.0 192.5

    Depreciation and amortization 10.3 9.4

    ---------------------
    Total expenses 278.3 201.9

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Operating income 304.7 238.3
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Interest and other non-operating (expense)
    income, net (3.3) 3.4

    Income before provision for income taxes 301.4 241.7

    Provision for income taxes 126.0 95.5
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Net income $ 175.4 $ 146.2
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Earnings per share
    Basic $ 0.63 $ 0.50

    Diluted $ 0.62 $ 0.49
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Weighted average number of shares outstanding
    Basic 277.7 290.5

    Diluted 284.9 299.5
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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    Moody's Corporation
    Supplemental Revenue Information (Unaudited)

    Three Months Ended
    March 31,
    ---------------------
    Amounts in millions 2007 2006
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Moody's Investors Service (a)

    Structured finance $ 251.5 $ 174.4

    Corporate finance 114.8 81.8

    Financial institutions and sovereign risk 76.7 65.9

    Public finance 29.4 25.6
    ---------- ----------

    Total ratings revenue 472.4 347.7

    Research 75.0 60.2
    ---------- ----------

    Total Moody's Investors Service 547.4 407.9

    Moody's KMV 35.6 32.3
    ---------- ----------

    Total revenue $ 583.0 $ 440.2

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Revenue by geographic area

    United States $ 378.6 $ 278.9

    International 204.4 161.3
    ---------- ----------

    Total revenue $ 583.0 $ 440.2

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    (a) Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to
    the current year presentation.
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    Moody's Corporation
    Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Data (Unaudited)

    March 31, 2007 December 31, 2006
    ----------------- -----------------
    Amounts in millions

    Cash and cash equivalents $ 289.5 $ 408.1
    Short-term investments 10.3 75.4
    Total current assets 879.1 1,001.9
    Non-current assets 581.3 495.8
    Total assets 1,460.4 1,497.7
    Borrowings under revolving credit
    facility 80.0 -
    Total current liabilities 773.0 700.0
    Notes payable 300.0 300.0
    Other long-term liabilities 457.5 330.3
    Shareholders' equity (70.1) 167.4
    Total liabilities and
    shareholders' equity $ 1,460.4 $ 1,497.7

    Shares outstanding 273.8 278.6
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