MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.04 EPS

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The technology company reported $4.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by $0.04, FiscalAI reports. MSCI had a net margin of 40.03% and a negative return on equity of 110.94%. The company had revenue of $822.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $819.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.18 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis.

MSCI Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of MSCI stock traded up $20.59 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $602.34. The stock had a trading volume of 226,151 shares, compared to its average volume of 395,039. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $570.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $565.28. MSCI has a 52-week low of $486.73 and a 52-week high of $618.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.26 billion, a PE ratio of 38.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.30.

MSCI announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, October 28th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to purchase up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In other news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 2,290 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $536.17 per share, for a total transaction of $1,227,829.30. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 335,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $179,653,945.73. The trade was a 0.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.00, for a total value of $247,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,639 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,901,450. This represents a 2.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MSCI

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MSCI. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in MSCI by 7.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,003 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in shares of MSCI by 39.0% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 6,585 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,724,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted 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 worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted 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 valued at $20,261,000 after buying an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the second quarter valued at about $88,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MSCI shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $690.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a report on Monday, January 12th. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of MSCI to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on MSCI from $588.00 to $611.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings raised MSCI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $650.13.

Trending Headlines about MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat consensus: MSCI reported $4.66 EPS vs. the Zacks/Street consensus of $4.62, and EPS rose from $4.18 a year ago — a near-term positive surprise that supports valuation. MSCI (MSCI) Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and margins were strong year‑over‑year: Q4 revenue was $822.53M (up ~10.6% YoY) and net margin ~40%, indicating healthy operating leverage in its index/data/subscription business. That supports recurring revenue expectations. MSCI Press Release / Slides
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and insider signals are generally constructive: multiple recent buy/overweight ratings and a median analyst target (~$635.5) sit above the current price; Quiver also highlights significant insider purchases by the CEO. These support longer‑term upside expectations. Quiver Quantitative coverage
• Positive Sentiment: MSCI launched a consultation on reclassifying Greece to Developed Market status (target for August 2026 implementation) — a change that can increase index inclusion, trading flows and index licensing revenue over time. MSCI to Consult on Greece Reclassification
• Neutral Sentiment: Company materials and coverage: Business Wire and MarketBeat posted the full Q4/fy2025 release, slide deck and conference materials — useful for modeling detail but neutral by themselves. MSCI Reports Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Preview and analyst commentary appeared ahead of results (Seeking Alpha, MSN) — these provide context on what investors were watching but don’t change fundamentals. MSCI Q4 2025 Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Some datapoints show mixed execution vs. certain street estimates: one report flags revenue ~ $15.4M below a specific estimate and notes sizeable institutional selling by some hedge funds in recent quarters — potential near‑term headwinds for sentiment. Quiver: revenue vs. estimates and institutional flows
• Negative Sentiment: Return on equity metric is shown negative on a reported basis (reflecting buybacks/financial structure) which can concern some investors evaluating capital efficiency. Monitor management commentary on capital allocation. MarketBeat MSCI Summary

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.