MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Hits New 1-Year High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $619.24 and last traded at $615.26, with a volume of 552538 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $581.75.

The technology company reported $4.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by $0.04. The company 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.18 EPS.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This is an increase from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. MSCI’s payout ratio is currently 45.63%.

MSCI announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, October 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to repurchase up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Key Headlines Impacting MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI raised its price target to $690 and kept an Outperform rating, signaling strong buy-side conviction and a ~13.7% upside from the current price. Evercore price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: MSCI announced a meaningful dividend hike — quarterly payout raised to $2.05 (a ~13.9% increase vs. prior), supporting yield and income-oriented investor interest. Dividend hikes article
• Positive Sentiment: Operational strength: Q4 showed sticky demand (93% retention), revenue up ~10.6% Y/Y and an EPS beat (reported $4.66 vs. $4.62 consensus), supporting long-term subscription and asset-fee growth thesis. Retention / demand article
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 financials: revenue $822.5M, net margin ~40%, and EPS growth vs. prior year — results largely in line with expectations but with mixed underlying line-item trends. Investors should review the slide deck/press release for segment-level drivers. BusinessWire results
• Negative Sentiment: Company signaled higher full-year expenses and offered softer 2026 guidance, which, combined with the modest EPS beat, pressured the stock despite positive fundamentals. Guidance / reaction article
• Negative Sentiment: Index governance controversy: MSCI paused a rebalancing related to Indonesia, triggering market moves and drawing government scrutiny — a reputational/regulatory risk that can create near-term headlines and client/government friction. Reuters on Indonesia action

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSCI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on MSCI from $655.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $690.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Monday, January 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $715.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded MSCI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, MSCI presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $659.00.

Insider Transactions at MSCI

In other MSCI news, General Counsel Robert J. Gutowski sold 624 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.42, for a total value of $348,454.08. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 15,945 shares in the company, valued at $8,904,006.90. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.00, for a total value of $247,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,639 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,901,450. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 3.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSCI

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Aprio Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in MSCI by 22.7% during the 4th quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 487 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $279,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in MSCI by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 1,123 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $645,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 60.6% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 774 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its position in shares of MSCI by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 38,502 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $22,090,000 after purchasing an additional 3,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 10,784 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,187,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

MSCI Stock Down 1.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of $45.61 billion, a PE ratio of 38.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $572.29 and its 200 day moving average is $565.91.

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.