MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) shares gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $625.11, but opened at $561.00. MSCI shares last traded at $556.5490, with a volume of 271,770 shares traded.

The technology company reported $4.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.99 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $867.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $870.71 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 55.19% and a net margin of 40.74%.MSCI’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.17 EPS.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.83%.

Key MSCI News

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MSCI reported double-digit year-over-year revenue growth in Q2, supported by stronger recurring subscriptions, asset-based fees, and continued growth in ETF-linked assets under management. MSCI Reports Financial Results for Second Quarter and Six Months 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts noted that MSCI’s core trading ecosystem remains healthy, with record ETF-related AUM helping support asset-based fee revenue and cash flow. MSCI-Linked ETF AUM Tops $2.8 Trillion, but Investors Still Sold the Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share, reinforcing its shareholder return profile. MSCI earnings report and conference call
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 adjusted EPS of $4.94 and revenue of $867 million came in slightly below Wall Street expectations, which disappointed investors despite the year-over-year gains. MSCI earnings report and conference call
• Negative Sentiment: MSCI raised its 2026 operating expense and adjusted EBITDA expense outlook, signaling higher acquisition costs, incentive compensation, and investment spending that could pressure future profitability. MSCI dips as expenses weigh on Q2 earnings, 2026 outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Several reports said the stock declined after the earnings release as investors fixated on the higher expense forecast and the slight miss versus expectations, even though results were solid overall. MSCI shares decline despite second-quarter earnings beat and revenue growth

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MSCI. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MSCI in a research report on Friday, July 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $760.00 target price for the company. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of MSCI from $715.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $655.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group set a $615.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore set a $722.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have issued a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $709.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In other news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $592.04, for a total transaction of $5,920,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. This represents a 29.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSCI. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in MSCI by 341.7% in the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in MSCI during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in MSCI during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

MSCI Price Performance

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $597.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $577.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.24.

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.