Franklin Resources Inc. Has $178.81 Million Holdings in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Franklin Resources Inc. cut its stake in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 311,668 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 59,038 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in MSCI were worth $178,813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSCI by 341.7% in the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of MSCI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key MSCI News

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MSCI confirmed early index-inclusion rules for large IPOs ahead of SpaceX’s planned listing, which could increase the odds that a high-profile company like SpaceX is added to MSCI benchmarks and drive more assets into MSCI-linked products. Article: MSCI confirms early index inclusion rules ahead of SpaceX IPO
• Positive Sentiment: Reports said SpaceX is set for early entry into MSCI indexes after its IPO, reinforcing the possibility of significant passive-fund inflows tied to MSCI’s benchmark methodology. Article: SpaceX set for early entry into MSCI indexes after IPO
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noted that no Indian stock is in the top 10 of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index for the first time in 26 years, reflecting a broader shift toward AI and chip stocks rather than a direct change to MSCI’s own earnings outlook. Article: BT explainer: Why no Indian stock in top 10 MSCI EM index
• Neutral Sentiment: Another article said India has fallen out of the MSCI EM top 10 as AI stocks and chipmakers from Taiwan and South Korea dominate, underscoring changing index composition but not a clear fundamental catalyst for MSCI shares. Article: Explained: How AI mania has thrown India Inc out of MSCI EM’s top 10
• Neutral Sentiment: A market commentary asked whether MSCI stock is underperforming the S&P 500, but also said analysts remain bullish, suggesting sentiment is mixed rather than negative. Article: Is MSCI Stock Underperforming the S&P 500?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MSCI shares. Weiss Ratings raised MSCI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. UBS Group raised their price target on MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America started coverage on MSCI in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $700.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised MSCI from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $650.00 to $700.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on MSCI from $719.00 to $727.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSCI has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $697.70.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In other news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $592.04, for a total value of $5,920,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 23,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. This trade represents a 29.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $252,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,624,640. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 3.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MSCI Price Performance

MSCI stock opened at $607.02 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $581.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $569.59. MSCI Inc has a fifty-two week low of $501.08 and a fifty-two week high of $644.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.38 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $850.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $830.91 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 65.48% and a net margin of 40.74%.The business’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.00 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.83%.

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.