Swedbank AB Trims Stake in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Swedbank AB lowered its position in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 11.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 121,491 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 16,160 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB’s holdings in MSCI were worth $69,703,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in MSCI in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in 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 during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MSCI in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in MSCI in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in MSCI in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSCI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of MSCI from $719.00 to $727.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of MSCI in a research note 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 target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Evercore raised their price target on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $692.70.

MSCI Price Performance

Shares of MSCI stock opened at $588.97 on Friday. MSCI Inc has a 1 year low of $501.08 and a 1 year high of $626.28. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $564.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $566.08. The stock has a market cap of $42.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.64, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.38 by $0.17. MSCI had a net margin of 40.74% and a negative return on equity of 65.48%. The company had revenue of $850.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $830.91 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.00 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 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 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.