MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $671.7778.

MSCI has been the topic of several research reports. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $690.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on MSCI from $590.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore raised their target price on MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded MSCI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $655.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th.

MSCI Stock Performance

Shares of MSCI stock traded up $9.29 during trading on Friday, hitting $545.64. 25,690 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 649,143. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.77, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $568.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $565.04. MSCI has a 52-week low of $486.73 and a 52-week 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 company had revenue of $822.53 million during 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%.MSCI’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.18 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MSCI will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $518.95 per share, for a total transaction of $415,160.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,493,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $775,231,900.65. This represents a 0.05% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in MSCI in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 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.