Moody’s is the credit rating agency that has long been a major Berkshire Hathaway stock holding.
Berkshire’s connection to Moody’s dates to 2000, when Moody’s Corporation became an independent public company after being separated from Dun & Bradstreet. Berkshire received or retained a substantial position through that corporate separation and continued holding the shares for decades.
Moody’s evaluates the creditworthiness of governments, companies, and debt securities. Its ratings help investors judge the risk that a borrower may fail to meet its obligations, making the business closely tied to the financial information and capital-markets ecosystem Berkshire understands well.
The answer is sometimes confused with S&P Global or Fitch Ratings, which are also major rating agencies. Moody’s Corporation is the publicly traded parent, while Moody’s Ratings is the ratings operation itself. Berkshire’s investment is in the corporation, not ownership of the entire agency.