Moody's Corporation vs Western Alliance Bancorporation — how do they compare? Moody's Corporation trades at $476.73 (market cap $82.80B), while Western Alliance Bancorporation trades at $81.46 (market cap $8.78B). The key difference: Moody's Corporation is far larger — about 9.4× Western Alliance Bancorporation's market cap, and Western Alliance Bancorporation pays the higher dividend (2.09%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MCO | WAL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $82.80B | $8.78B |
Sector | Financials | Financials |
52-Week High | $539.61 | $96.08 |
52-Week Low | $412.23 | $66.70 |
Enterprise Value | $88.83B | — |
Dividend Yield | 0.86% | 2.09% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
MCO trades at $477.75, up 0.98% on the day, with a bullish technical signal and strong fundamentals. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations with EPS of $4.68 versus $4.26 expected, driven by robust debt issuance and analytics demand. Revenue growth accelerated to 15% year-over-year, with net income margin expanding to 34.25%. The stock is supported by a consensus price target of $561.88, indicating 17.6% upside potential, and positive analyst sentiment with 56% buy ratings.
Outlook remains positive due to consistent earnings beats, high profitability, and strategic positioning in credit ratings. Risks include elevated valuation multiples, such as a P/E of 30.31, and dependence on capital market activity. Investors should weigh growth prospects against potential macroeconomic headwinds affecting debt issuance volumes.
Western Alliance Bancorporation (WAL) trades at $81.39, up 0.06% on the day, with a neutral technical signal and bullish moving averages. The stock shows strong fundamentals with a P/E of 9.08, net income margin of 25.43%, and consistent earnings beats in recent quarters. Recent developments include the launch of WA VenueX, a digital asset liquidity platform, and recognition as Arizona's top bank by Forbes in 2026.
Outlook remains positive with a consensus price target of $93.86, implying 15% upside, supported by 79% analyst buy ratings. Risks include negative operating cash flow and institutional selling, but revenue growth and profitability trends provide a solid foundation for investor confidence.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Moody's, along with S&P Ratings, is a leading provider of credit ratings on fixed income securities. Moody's ratings segment, known as Moody's Investors Service or MIS, includes corporates, structured finance, financial institutions, and public finance ratings. MIS represents a majority of the firm's revenue and profits. Moody's other segment is Moody's Analytics and consists of Research, Data, and Analytics or RD&A and Enterprise Risk Solutions or ERS. RD&A's products include credit research, quantitative credit scores, economic research, business intelligence, know your customer (KYC) tools, commercial real estate data and analytical tools, and training services. ERS includes risk management software solutions to financial institutions.
Read more on MCO →Western Alliance Bancorporation is a top-performing bank holding company that operates a dual business model: high-touch regional banking and specialized national business lines. It serves niche industries—including technology, life sciences, and homeowners associations—providing sophisticated commercial lending and treasury solutions that bridge the gap between regional service and national scale.
Read more on WAL →