Magellan Asset Management Ltd Reduces Stock Holdings in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Magellan Asset Management Ltd decreased its holdings in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 317,580 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 24,207 shares during the quarter. MSCI comprises approximately 2.2% of Magellan Asset Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Magellan Asset Management Ltd owned 0.43% of MSCI worth $182,205,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MSCI. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in MSCI by 7.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,003 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in MSCI by 39.0% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 6,585 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,724,000 after buying an additional 1,846 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in MSCI by 20.9% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $607,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in MSCI by 1.0% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 35,130 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $20,261,000 after buying an additional 344 shares during the period. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in MSCI during the second quarter valued at $88,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In related news, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $252,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,624,640. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider owned 23,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,941,357.92. The trade was a 29.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSCI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised MSCI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price objective on MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on MSCI in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $700.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $655.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $730.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $697.70.

MSCI Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSCI opened at $620.52 on Friday. MSCI Inc has a 1-year low of $501.08 and a 1-year high of $644.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $576.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $568.51. The company has a market capitalization of $45.17 billion, a PE ratio of 35.44, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.38 by $0.17. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 65.48% and a net margin of 40.74%.The firm had revenue of $850.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $830.91 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.83%.

MSCI 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.