MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Short Interest Down 16.2% in March

MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,094,274 shares, a drop of 16.2% from the February 26th total of 1,305,533 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 625,631 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MSCI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $655.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore raised their price target on MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group set a $638.00 price objective on MSCI in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Bank of America assumed coverage on MSCI in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $700.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of MSCI from $590.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $674.00.

MSCI News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James named MSCI its top sector pick, citing “strong sales momentum” — the call reinforces buy-side confidence in the company’s revenue trajectory and recurring-fee business. Raymond James Names MSCI Inc. Top Sector Pick
• Positive Sentiment: MSCI struck a distribution/technology partnership with Syntax Data to put MSCI indexes on the Syntax Direct platform, expanding direct-to-index access and the addressable market for index licensing. This supports future index licensing and data revenue. Syntax Data Collaborates with MSCI
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms are being assigned/upgraded by MSCI’s ESG ratings (examples: NetDragon, Hengtong, Minth), underscoring steady demand for MSCI’s ESG-data product — a recurring, high-margin revenue stream. NetDragon Upgraded to “A” by MSCI ESG Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains constructive: MSCI carries an average “Moderate Buy” consensus — supportive long-term but already reflected in premium valuation multiples. MSCI Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy”
• Neutral Sentiment: Frequent citations of MSCI indexes in ETF and fund commentary (ACWI, sector/index ETFs, Fidelity MSCI funds) highlight broad licensing reach — good for steady index-fee income but largely already priced in. ACWI’s 18.3% Run Beat the S&P 500
• Negative Sentiment: Short-seller activity rebounded in mid-March per market commentary, a reminder that momentum or sentiment shifts can drive near-term volatility in high-multiple software/data names like MSCI. Short Sellers Reverse Early 2026 Losses With Mid-March Surge

MSCI Stock Performance

MSCI stock traded up $7.35 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $539.23. 443,905 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 628,745. The firm has a market cap of $39.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.37, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a fifty day moving average of $558.78 and a 200 day moving average of $563.15. MSCI has a 12-month low of $486.73 and a 12-month high of $626.28.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $822.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $819.51 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 82.59% and a net margin of 38.36%.The business’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.18 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that MSCI will post 16.86 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. MSCI’s payout ratio is presently 52.26%.

Insider Transactions at MSCI

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez purchased 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $518.95 per share, with a total value of $415,160.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,493,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $775,231,900.65. The trade was a 0.05% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 3.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MSCI

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of MSCI during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $547,348,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in MSCI by 499.3% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 874,882 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $496,417,000 after acquiring an additional 728,900 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY grew its holdings in MSCI by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,755,747 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,581,055,000 after purchasing an additional 361,630 shares during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in MSCI by 91.8% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 691,554 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $392,395,000 after purchasing an additional 331,040 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of MSCI by 36.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,069,180 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $606,674,000 after purchasing an additional 282,859 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About MSCI

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.