Westpac Banking Corp Decreases Stake in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Westpac Banking Corp lessened its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 17.1% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,396 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,522 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in MSCI were worth $3,987,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MSCI. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of MSCI by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,320,761 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,884,233,000 after buying an additional 39,450 shares during the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY grew its stake in MSCI by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,755,747 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,581,055,000 after acquiring an additional 361,630 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in MSCI by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,467,556 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,415,713,000 after acquiring an additional 52,242 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in MSCI by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,446,291 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $829,781,000 after acquiring an additional 168,405 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in MSCI by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,000,942 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $574,270,000 after acquiring an additional 39,099 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 3.76% of the company’s stock.

Key MSCI News

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MSCI posted solid year-over-year growth in Q2, with revenue up 12.2% and adjusted EPS up 18.5%, while some coverage said it beat earnings and revenue estimates. MSCI Reports Financial Results for Second Quarter and Six Months 2026
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share, reinforcing cash-return strength for shareholders.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts still maintain generally bullish long-term price targets, with a recent JPMorgan raise to $742 and a median target around $710.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider and institutional trading data was mixed, with CEO Henry Fernandez buying shares while some executives and large funds reduced exposure.
• Negative Sentiment: The main drag on the stock was the market’s reaction to MSCI missing some consensus estimates and, more importantly, lifting 2026 operating expense, EBITDA expense, interest expense, and depreciation guidance, which raises concerns about margin pressure. MSCI slides as stronger Q2 results are overshadowed by a higher 2026 expense outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Several market recaps described the post-earnings move as a sharp selloff, with investors punishing the stock despite respectable operating performance. Why MSCI Stock Is Plummeting Lower Today

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MSCI shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MSCI in a report on Friday, July 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $760.00 price target for the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on MSCI from $715.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $700.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on MSCI from $700.00 to $735.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $716.42.

MSCI Price Performance

NYSE:MSCI opened at $560.31 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.00, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50-day moving average is $597.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $577.04. MSCI Inc has a 1-year low of $501.08 and a 1-year high of $644.77.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The technology company reported $4.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.99 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $867.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $870.71 million. MSCI had a net margin of 40.74% and a negative return on equity of 65.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.17 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 19.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.