Madison Asset Management LLC Purchases New Position in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Madison Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 70,672 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,100,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new position in MSCI during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in MSCI during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI during the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 68 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of MSCI in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSCI Trading Down 7.8%

Shares of NYSE:MSCI opened at $515.63 on Wednesday. MSCI Inc has a 1-year low of $486.73 and a 1-year high of $626.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $574.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $566.76.

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

MSCI Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This is an increase from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.89%.

MSCI announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, October 28th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to repurchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on MSCI from $655.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $655.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group set a $638.00 price target on MSCI in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of MSCI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MSCI presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $659.00.

Key Stories Impacting MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MSCI completed its February 2026 Index Review — the routine but revenue‑bearing rebalance underscores MSCI’s recurring index business and the firm’s central role in global passive allocation flows. This supports the company’s steady fee stream from index licensing and data services. MSCI Equity Indexes February 2026 Index Review
• Positive Sentiment: Pony.ai’s addition to the MSCI China Index highlights MSCI indexes’ continued influence on capital flows and market structure — high‑profile inclusions increase index relevance and may sustain demand for MSCI’s product suite from institutional clients. Pony AI Joins MSCI China Index As First Robotaxi Constituent
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple country and sector adjustments (India additions, China heavy additions, small‑cap shuffles) are being widely reported — these are normal index mechanics that create predictable buy/sell flows for affected securities but do not change MSCI’s business model. MSCI Rejig: 7 Smallcap Stocks Included in Latest Shuffle
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and local press are estimating large, concentrated inflows into newly included names (e.g., AU Small Finance, Aditya Birla Capital) — important for affected issuers, but the net impact on MSCI’s financials is low‑margin and spread over time. MSCI Global Standard Index February Rejig: Nuvama expects over $500 million inflow
• Negative Sentiment: Investor reaction may reflect technical selling and profit‑taking: the stock is trading below its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages (background data), which can prompt quant/ETF-related outflows and amplify short‑term weakness. No direct fundamental change in MSCI’s core business was announced. (Background: MSCI price/moving average data).
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary and the UBS conference transcript may have contained cautious tone or forward questions about growth cadence for index/data revenue — such conference takeaways can trigger re‑rating if investors expected more aggressive guidance. MSCI Presents at UBS Financial Services Conference 2026 Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical and market‑structure stories (e.g., freeze of reviews or country‑specific index changes) add uncertainty around market access and the timing/size of future index flows in certain regions. Analysis: MSCI freezes Indonesia review, raises specter of rating downgrade

Insider Transactions at MSCI

In other MSCI news, General Counsel Robert J. Gutowski sold 624 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.42, for a total value of $348,454.08. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 15,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,904,006.90. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 10,210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $536.13 per share, with a total value of $5,473,887.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,487,047 shares in the company, valued at approximately $797,250,508.11. This trade represents a 0.69% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 3.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.