Moody’s Corporation vs NELNET, INC., two Credit Services stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Moody's carries 2.4 turns of debt and a buyback-hollowed equity base; Nelnet carries 2.06 turns as a student-loan servicer-investor, and the leverage funds opposite-quality franchises: Moody's near-monopoly ratings economics, a 79.4% return on equity and 31.7% net margin, against Nelnet's diversified 11.2% return (its 111.7% net margin an investment-gain artifact). Moody's trades at 32.3 times earnings against Nelnet's 11.7, the ratings premium against the lumpy-holding discount. Both pay small dividends. Moody's sells opinions on the debt that funds companies like Nelnet; the rating agency earns seven times the return on equity and commands nearly triple the multiple, the toll booth beating the balance-sheet holding on every economic axis.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | MCO | NNI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $449.85 | $134.48 |
| Market cap | $79.8B | $4.9B |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +24.5% | +16.4% |
| P/E | 32.3 | 11.7 |
| P/B | 25.38 | 1.30 |
| P/S | 10.13 | 12.99 |
| EV/EBITDA | 21.9 | 138.8 |
| Revenue growth | +9.1% | +23.6% |
| Operating margin | 44.4% | — |
| Net margin | 31.7% | 111.7% |
| Return on equity | 79.4% | 11.2% |
| Return on assets | 16.9% | 2.9% |
| Dividend yield | 0.8% | 0.4% |
| Debt / equity | 2.40 | 2.06 |
| Current ratio | 1.16 | — |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 6.66 | 0.67 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.