Banque Pictet & Cie SA Raises Stock Holdings in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Banque Pictet & Cie SA grew its stake in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 103.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 523,035 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 265,750 shares during the quarter. MSCI accounts for 1.8% of Banque Pictet & Cie SA’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Banque Pictet & Cie SA owned 0.70% of MSCI worth $300,081,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in MSCI by 499.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 874,882 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $496,417,000 after acquiring an additional 728,900 shares during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its stake in MSCI by 91.8% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 691,554 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $392,395,000 after purchasing an additional 331,040 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in MSCI by 36.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,069,180 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $606,674,000 after purchasing an additional 282,859 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY raised its holdings in MSCI by 10.3% in the third quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,394,117 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,358,446,000 after purchasing an additional 223,784 shares during the period. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its holdings in MSCI by 90.1% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 350,738 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $202,285,000 after purchasing an additional 166,208 shares during the period. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $252,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,544 shares in the company, valued at $12,624,640. The trade was a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 800 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $518.95 per share, with a total value of $415,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,493,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $775,231,900.65. This trade represents a 0.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 3.76% of the company’s stock.

MSCI Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of MSCI stock opened at $537.78 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $556.85 and a 200-day moving average of $562.67. MSCI Inc has a 12-month low of $486.73 and a 12-month high of $626.28. The company has a market capitalization of $39.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.29.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $822.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $819.51 million. MSCI had a net margin of 38.36% and a negative return on equity of 82.59%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.18 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that MSCI Inc will post 16.86 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is a positive change from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.26%.

Key Headlines Impacting MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James named MSCI a “Top Sector Pick,” citing strong sales momentum — this is a direct vote of confidence from a sell‑side firm and can support buy-side interest. Raymond James Names MSCI Inc.
• Positive Sentiment: MSCI expanded distribution of its ADR/index products via a Syntax Data partnership, broadening index licensing and platform reach — small positive for recurring index licensing revenues and product adoption. Syntax Data Collaborates with MSCI
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains constructive: MSCI was given an average “Moderate Buy” recommendation across brokerages, which can underpin investor demand. MSCI Given Average Recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: MSCI announced it will reclassify the MSCI Greece Indexes from Emerging to Developed Market status (effective May 2027) — a core index governance action that underscores MSCI’s role as index arbiter but has an ambiguous near-term revenue impact. MSCI to Reclassify the MSCI Greece Indexes
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Greece rejoining developed‑market benchmarks (Reuters/Business Standard) highlights market implications for Greek stocks; for MSCI this is validation of index methodology but not a clear revenue driver yet. Greece set to rejoin MSCI developed markets
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target on MSCI from $618 to $545 and set an “equal weight” rating — this lowers upside expectations and likely contributes to downward pressure on the stock. Wells Fargo Lowers Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: MSCI announced an upcoming change in chief accounting leadership (resignation of a senior accounting executive) — leadership turnover in accounting can raise near‑term governance/transition concerns for investors. Change in Chief Accounting Leadership
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness (Asian stocks and MSCI Asia Pacific slipping amid geopolitical tensions) can drag MSCI’s shares, since index‑related demand and sentiment are cyclical. Asian Stocks Today

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MSCI. UBS Group set a $638.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $715.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered MSCI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on MSCI from $618.00 to $545.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on MSCI in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $700.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $665.89.

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.