Moody's Corporation's CEO Discusses Q1 2012 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

I would also like to point out that members of the media may be on the call this morning in a listen-only mode. I’ll now turn the call over to Ray McDaniel.

Ray McDaniel

Thank you, Salli. Good morning and thank you to everyone for joining today’s call. I’ll begin by summarizing Moody’s first quarter 2012 results. Linda will follow with additional financial detail and operating highlights and I’ll then speak to recent regulatory developments and finish with comments on our outlook for 2012. After our prepared remarks, we’ll be happy to respond to your questions.

First quarter revenue of $647 million increased 12% over the prior year period primarily reflecting increased corporate and public project and infrastructure debt issuance as well as continued solid performance from Moody’s Analytics. All reporting units of both Moody’s Investor Service and Moody’s Analytics grew in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the prior year period.

Operating income for the first quarter was $269 million, an 8% increased from the prior-year period. Diluted earnings per share for the quarter of $0.76 increased 13% year-over-year. While the level of issuance activity was strong in first quarter, we remain cautious about market conditions for the remainder of the year. As a result we are reaffirming our 2012 EPS guidance of $2.62 to $2.72, but now expect to be toward the upper end of the range.

I will now turn the call over to Linda to provide further commentary on our results and other updates.

Linda Huber

Thanks, Ray. I’ll begin with revenue at the company level. As Ray mentioned, Moody’s total revenue for the quarter increased 12% to $647 million. The US first quarter revenue increased 14% to $344 million while revenue outside the US grew 10% to $303 million and represented 47% of Moody’s total revenue, down slightly from the 48% in the year-ago period. Recurring revenue of $330 million represented 51% of the total, essentially flat to the prior year period.

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