MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Now Covered by Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $760.00 price target on the technology company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of MSCI from $719.00 to $727.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of MSCI from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $650.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America upped their price objective on MSCI from $715.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays increased their price objective on MSCI from $700.00 to $735.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered MSCI from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $713.50.

MSCI Price Performance

Shares of MSCI opened at $628.83 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.91, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.24. MSCI has a one year low of $501.08 and a one year high of $644.77. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $596.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $576.90.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.38 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $850.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $830.91 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 65.48% and a net margin of 40.74%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.00 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MSCI will post 19.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In related 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 23,548 shares of the company’s stock, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MSCI

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in MSCI by 341.7% during the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in MSCI in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MSCI in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in MSCI in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of MSCI during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

More MSCI News

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies initiated coverage on MSCI with a Buy rating and a $760 price target, implying meaningful upside from current levels and signaling continued confidence in the company’s long-term growth profile.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts heading into MSCI’s Q2 report are pointing to double-digit revenue growth, supported by strong index demand, record asset-based fees, and AI-driven product launches, which could reinforce the company’s earnings momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles discuss the upcoming MSCI India index review and possible additions/removals that could trigger about $2.3 billion in passive flows. These headlines are about MSCI’s index methodology and market impact, but they are not a direct operating update for MSCI itself.
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical commentary on Direxion MSCI Emerging Markets ETFs highlights trading interest tied to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, but this appears to be more about market products linked to MSCI benchmarks than a fundamental change in MSCI’s business.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may also be holding back ahead of MSCI’s Q2 earnings release, since the stock is trading near recent highs and expectations are already elevated, leaving room for volatility if results or guidance disappoint.

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.