Brokerages Set MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Price Target at $659.00

Shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $659.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group set a $638.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $715.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Evercore upped their price objective on MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th.

Key Headlines Impacting MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha highlights a 13.9% dividend increase and continued double-digit growth outlook for MSCI, a direct positive for income and total-return investors. MSCI: 13.9% Dividend Hike And Double-Digit Growth
• Positive Sentiment: MSCI-driven index additions in major markets (example: Aditya Birla Capital and L&T Finance added to MSCI Global Standard Index) are expected to trigger sizable passive flows into the included stocks, underscoring the commercial importance of MSCI’s index decisions and supporting its recurring-fee franchise. Birla Capital, L&T Finance enter MSCI Index
• Positive Sentiment: MSCI’s increased exposure to Chinese tech in recent revamps (and resulting market moves) illustrates the firm’s influence on global flows and index composition, which can sustain demand for MSCI’s index products and data services. China Stocks Climb as MSCI Boosts Exposure
• Positive Sentiment: Ongoing trend of adding crypto-related and microcap names to MSCI indexes (examples reported this week) demonstrates expanding coverage breadth and keeps MSCI at the center of passive rebalances — a structural tailwind for its indexing and data business. Another crypto firm joins MicroStrategy in MSCI index
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts note MSCI inclusions tend to spur foreign investor interest into affected markets — a market dynamic that benefits index users and validates MSCI’s market impact, but doesn’t directly change MSCI’s revenue mix in the short term. MSCI inclusions to spur foreign interest – analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly/annual commentary (Baron Fund note and coverage summaries) describes MSCI as holding steady amid macro and market challenges — supportive context but not a near-term stock mover on its own. MSCI (MSCI) Held Steady Amid Challenges
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/political friction surfaced after an MSCI “freeze” prompted government attention (Indonesia example), which can create short-term volatility in affected markets and raises governance/public-relations risk around index actions. Luhut Preps Recommendations to Improve Market After MSCI Freeze

MSCI Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE:MSCI opened at $526.21 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $573.19 and its 200 day moving average is $565.89. MSCI has a 12 month low of $486.73 and a 12 month high of $626.28. The company has a market capitalization of $38.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.29.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $822.53 million for 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%.The company’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.18 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that MSCI will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, October 28th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to repurchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This is a boost from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is 45.89%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $11,901,450. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez purchased 2,290 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $536.17 per share, with a total value of $1,227,829.30. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 335,069 shares in the company, valued at $179,653,945.73. This trade represents a 0.69% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 3.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new position in MSCI in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of MSCI by 341.7% during the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in MSCI in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MSCI in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

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.