MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) CEO Henry Fernandez Buys 6,000 Shares

MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) CEO Henry Fernandez acquired 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $524.18 per share, with a total value of $3,145,080.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,493,047 shares in the company, valued at $782,625,376.46. This represents a 0.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

MSCI Stock Down 0.9%

MSCI opened at $521.51 on Wednesday. MSCI Inc has a fifty-two week low of $486.73 and a fifty-two week high of $626.28. The firm has a market cap of $38.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.29. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $572.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $565.49.

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

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

MSCI Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. This is an increase from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. MSCI’s payout ratio is 52.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $690.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of MSCI from $590.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $715.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group set a $638.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MSCI presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $671.78.

Institutional Trading of MSCI

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aviso Financial Inc. raised its position in MSCI by 2.0% in the third quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 859 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MSCI by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 375 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MSCI by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 568 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC raised its holdings in MSCI by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 622 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,074 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $616,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by 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.