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

MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $659.00.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MSCI shares. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MSCI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of MSCI from $590.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $715.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th.

MSCI Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of MSCI stock opened at $556.97 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $575.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $566.86. MSCI has a 1-year low of $486.73 and a 1-year high of $626.28. The company has a market cap of $41.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.50, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.29.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by $0.04. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 82.59% and a net margin of 38.36%.The company had revenue of $822.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $819.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.18 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that MSCI will post 16.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.26%.

MSCI declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, October 28th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to repurchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at MSCI

In other MSCI news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 2,290 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $536.17 per share, for a total transaction of $1,227,829.30. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 335,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $179,653,945.73. The trade was a 0.69% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Robert J. Gutowski sold 624 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.42, for a total value of $348,454.08. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 15,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,904,006.90. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSCI

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MSCI. Cumberland Partners Ltd grew its stake in shares of MSCI by 92.9% in the 4th quarter. Cumberland Partners Ltd now owns 6,750 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,873,000 after acquiring an additional 3,250 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC grew its position in MSCI by 116.9% in the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 7,458 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,279,000 after purchasing an additional 4,020 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its stake in MSCI by 20.2% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 428 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $246,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in MSCI by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 11,674 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,697,000 after buying an additional 1,862 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of MSCI by 247.9% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 494 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.