MSCI Inc $MSCI Position Lifted by PICTET BANK & TRUST Ltd

PICTET BANK & TRUST Ltd grew its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 116.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,150 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,775 shares during the period. MSCI comprises approximately 3.5% of PICTET BANK & TRUST Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. PICTET BANK & TRUST Ltd’s holdings in MSCI were worth $2,955,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MSCI. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in MSCI by 499.3% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 874,882 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $496,417,000 after purchasing an additional 728,900 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its position in MSCI by 91.8% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 691,554 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $392,395,000 after buying an additional 331,040 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 36.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,069,180 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $606,674,000 after buying an additional 282,859 shares during the period. Banque Pictet & Cie SA lifted its position in shares of MSCI by 103.3% during the 4th quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 523,035 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $300,081,000 after buying an additional 265,750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY lifted its position in shares of MSCI by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,394,117 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,358,446,000 after buying an additional 223,784 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on MSCI. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $655.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of MSCI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $715.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of MSCI in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $700.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore lifted their target price on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $665.89.

MSCI News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James named MSCI a “Top Sector Pick,” citing strong sales momentum — this is a direct vote of confidence from a sell‑side firm and can support buy-side interest. Raymond James Names MSCI Inc.
• Positive Sentiment: MSCI expanded distribution of its ADR/index products via a Syntax Data partnership, broadening index licensing and platform reach — small positive for recurring index licensing revenues and product adoption. Syntax Data Collaborates with MSCI
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains constructive: MSCI was given an average “Moderate Buy” recommendation across brokerages, which can underpin investor demand. MSCI Given Average Recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: MSCI announced it will reclassify the MSCI Greece Indexes from Emerging to Developed Market status (effective May 2027) — a core index governance action that underscores MSCI’s role as index arbiter but has an ambiguous near-term revenue impact. MSCI to Reclassify the MSCI Greece Indexes
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Greece rejoining developed‑market benchmarks (Reuters/Business Standard) highlights market implications for Greek stocks; for MSCI this is validation of index methodology but not a clear revenue driver yet. Greece set to rejoin MSCI developed markets
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target on MSCI from $618 to $545 and set an “equal weight” rating — this lowers upside expectations and likely contributes to downward pressure on the stock. Wells Fargo Lowers Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: MSCI announced an upcoming change in chief accounting leadership (resignation of a senior accounting executive) — leadership turnover in accounting can raise near‑term governance/transition concerns for investors. Change in Chief Accounting Leadership
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness (Asian stocks and MSCI Asia Pacific slipping amid geopolitical tensions) can drag MSCI’s shares, since index‑related demand and sentiment are cyclical. Asian Stocks Today

MSCI Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:MSCI opened at $537.78 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $556.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $562.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.29. MSCI Inc has a 12-month low of $486.73 and a 12-month high of $626.28.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by $0.04. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 82.59% and a net margin of 38.36%.The company had revenue of $822.53 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $819.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.18 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that MSCI Inc will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. MSCI’s payout ratio is presently 52.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In related news, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $252,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,624,640. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez purchased 6,000 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $524.18 per share, for a total transaction of $3,145,080.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,493,047 shares in the company, valued at $782,625,376.46. The trade was a 0.40% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.76% of the stock is currently owned by 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.