Intech Investment Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Intech Investment Management LLC reduced its position in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 63.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,893 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 6,654 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in MSCI were worth $2,234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSCI. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in MSCI by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,003 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,133,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in MSCI by 39.0% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 6,585 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,724,000 after acquiring an additional 1,846 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in MSCI by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its stake in MSCI by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 35,130 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $20,261,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the period. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in MSCI in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $88,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSCI Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of MSCI opened at $614.21 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $44.71 billion, a PE ratio of 35.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s fifty day moving average is $574.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $568.12. MSCI Inc has a fifty-two week low of $501.08 and a fifty-two week high of $644.68.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last announced 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 company had revenue of $850.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $830.91 million. MSCI had a net margin of 40.74% and a negative return on equity of 65.48%. MSCI’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.00 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. MSCI’s payout ratio is presently 46.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on MSCI. Bank of America began coverage on shares of MSCI in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $700.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of MSCI from $719.00 to $727.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of MSCI from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $650.00 to $700.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have given a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $697.70.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In related news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction on 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 owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. The trade was a 29.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction of $252,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 22,544 shares in the company, valued at $12,624,640. The trade was a 1.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 3.76% of the company’s stock.

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.