Certuity LLC Grows Holdings in MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI)

Certuity LLC increased its position in shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) by 17.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 967 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Certuity LLC’s holdings in MSCI were worth $547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSCI. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new position in MSCI during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in MSCI by 5,600.0% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 57 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Headinvest LLC acquired a new position in MSCI during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in MSCI during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MSCI during the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

MSCI Stock Performance

Shares of MSCI stock opened at $465.84 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $538.06 and a 200-day moving average of $537.38. MSCI Inc. has a 52-week low of $439.95 and a 52-week high of $617.39. The stock has a market cap of $36.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.06.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $3.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.44 by $0.08. MSCI had a net margin of 44.55% and a negative return on equity of 121.86%. The business had revenue of $680.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.47 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MSCI Inc. will post 14.59 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. MSCI’s payout ratio is presently 43.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on MSCI shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of MSCI from $700.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of MSCI from $615.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of MSCI from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $620.00 to $470.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MSCI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of MSCI from $671.00 to $615.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MSCI currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $569.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In other MSCI news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $465.92 per share, for a total transaction of $6,056,960.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 327,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $152,579,015.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez purchased 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $465.92 per share, for a total transaction of $6,056,960.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 327,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $152,579,015.68. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Cd Baer Pettit purchased 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $459.41 per share, for a total transaction of $3,445,575.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 291,038 shares in the company, valued at $133,705,767.58. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

About MSCI

MSCI Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides critical decision support tools and solutions for the investment community to manage investment processes worldwide. The Index segment provides indexes for use in various areas of the investment process, including indexed financial product, such as ETFs, mutual funds, annuities, futures, options, structured products, and over-the-counter derivatives; performance benchmarking; portfolio construction and rebalancing; and asset allocation, as well as licenses GICS and GICS Direct.