MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $674.00.

Several research firms have issued reports on MSCI. Evercore boosted their target price on MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on MSCI from $590.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Raymond James Financial upgraded MSCI from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $710.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $655.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group set a $638.00 price objective on MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th.

Insider Transactions at MSCI

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price 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 approximately $782,625,376.46. This represents a 0.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $252,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 3.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSCI

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSCI by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,003 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,133,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in MSCI by 39.0% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 6,585 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,724,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in MSCI by 20.9% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in MSCI during the second quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in MSCI by 18.2% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,697 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,862,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSCI Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:MSCI opened at $532.14 on Tuesday. MSCI has a fifty-two week low of $486.73 and a fifty-two week high of $626.28. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $558.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $563.15. The company has a market cap of $39.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.92, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.29.

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

MSCI Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This is a boost from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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 and cited strong sales momentum, giving investors a fresh analyst endorsement that can support buying interest. Raymond James names MSCI top sector pick
• Positive Sentiment: MSCI appeared on a retail recommendation list (“5 Best Stocks to Invest In on Robinhood for Beginners”), which can boost retail visibility and demand over time. 5 Best Stocks to Invest In on Robinhood for Beginners
• Positive Sentiment: Several companies (Minth Group; Hengtong Optic-Electric) publicly noted MSCI ESG rating actions (upgrades and ‘A’ ratings). While these are client stories, they highlight ongoing demand for MSCI’s ESG ratings and data services — a structural revenue tailwind. Minth Group wins MSCI ESG rating upgrade Hengtong Optic-Electric secures MSCI ‘A’ rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage in multiple Q4 fund letters and market pieces references MSCI indexes (e.g., MSCI All Country World, MSCI USA Financials). This underscores broad usage of MSCI benchmarks across ETFs and active funds, supporting recurring index licensing revenue but not signaling an immediate catalyst. ACWI coverage (MSCI All Country World) Baron Financials ETF letter
• Neutral Sentiment: No material negative news items surfaced in the last 24–36 hours; volume is lighter than average, so price moves may reflect analyst/news-driven shifts rather than a broad flow. (See linked fund commentaries for context.) Goldman Sachs fund commentary Franklin fund commentary

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.