MSCI Inc $MSCI Shares Purchased by PineStone Asset Management Inc.

PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 961,843 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 71,720 shares during the period. MSCI makes up about 3.4% of PineStone Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. PineStone Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 1.24% of MSCI worth $545,759,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Steph & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in MSCI in the second quarter worth $36,000. Banque Transatlantique SA lifted its holdings in MSCI by 355.6% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 82 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its position in shares of MSCI by 47.0% during the 2nd quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 97 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in MSCI during the second quarter worth about $61,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded MSCI to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. UBS Group upped their target price on MSCI from $700.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on MSCI from $588.00 to $611.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of MSCI from $533.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on MSCI from $650.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $642.63.

MSCI Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:MSCI opened at $585.11 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $43.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.08 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $561.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $562.39. MSCI Inc has a 52 week low of $486.73 and a 52 week high of $634.99.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The technology company reported $4.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.37 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $793.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $794.87 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 110.94% and a net margin of 40.03%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.86 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that MSCI Inc will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a $1.80 dividend. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. MSCI’s payout ratio is presently 45.63%.

MSCI announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, October 28th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to repurchase up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

More MSCI News

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media bullishness — Recent pieces argue MSCI is a long-term buy based on strong margins, sticky index licensing, and growth in ESG/data & analytics subscription revenue; that narrative supports multiple expansion and investor confidence. Why MSCI (MSCI) is a Top Stock for the Long-Term — Zacks Why MSCI (MSCI) is a top stock for the long term — MSN
• Neutral Sentiment: ETF dividend notices referencing MSCI indexes — Multiple CIBC- and ProShares-branded ETFs that track MSCI indices declared distributions; these are routine cash flows for ETF holders and do not materially change MSCI’s fundamentals. CIBC MSCI USA Equity Index ETF declares dividend CIBC MSCI Emerging Markets ETF dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Proposed index exclusion and crypto fallout — Crowdfund Insider reports MSCI’s proposed exclusion could trigger up to ~$15B in forced liquidations across bitcoin/crypto-linked products that reference MSCI indexes; that raises reputational, legal and client-relations risks and could drive short-term volatility in MSCI-linked products. MSCI’s Proposed Index Exclusion Threatens $15B in Bitcoin and Crypto Liquidations
• Negative Sentiment: Market speculation around crypto/clients — Crypto trading commentary and social signals show investors positioning for MSCI-related delisting outcomes (e.g., bets around MSTR), which increases headline risk and could pressure the stock if client pushback or regulatory scrutiny grows. MSTR Bottom In? Santiment Flags Indicator as MSCI Bets Rise — CoinGape

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, General Counsel Robert J. Gutowski sold 624 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.42, for a total transaction of $348,454.08. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 15,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,904,006.90. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 10,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $536.13 per share, with a total value of $5,473,887.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,487,047 shares in the company, valued at approximately $797,250,508.11. The trade was a 0.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.