MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) have been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $697.70.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MSCI shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $730.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Bank of America started coverage on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $700.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MSCI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st.

MSCI Stock Up 0.8%

MSCI opened at $599.14 on Friday. MSCI has a twelve month low of $501.08 and a twelve month high of $644.68. The company has a fifty day moving average of $584.93 and a 200-day moving average of $570.38. The stock has a market cap of $43.62 billion, a PE ratio of 34.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.38 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $850.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $830.91 million. MSCI had a net margin of 40.74% and a negative return on equity of 65.48%. MSCI’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.00 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MSCI will post 19.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSCI news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $592.04, for a total value of $5,920,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. This trade represents a 29.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $252,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 22,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,624,640. The trade was a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 3.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Aviso Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MSCI by 2.0% during the third quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 859 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $487,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSCI by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 375 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSCI by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 568 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Keel Point LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSCI by 3.0% during the third quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 622 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of MSCI by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,074 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $616,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSCI Company Profile

MSCI Inc is a global provider of investment decision support tools and services for the financial industry. The company is best known for its family of market indexes, which are widely used as benchmarks by asset managers and as the basis for exchange-traded funds and other passive products. In addition to index construction and licensing, MSCI offers portfolio analytics, risk models, factor and performance attribution tools, and a suite of data and technology solutions designed to support portfolio management and trading.

Beyond traditional indexing and risk analytics, MSCI has expanded into environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and ratings, offering data, scores and screening tools that help investors integrate sustainability considerations into investment processes.