MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.17 EPS

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) issued its earnings results on Tuesday. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.38 by $0.17, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $850.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $830.91 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 82.59% and a net margin of 38.36%.

MSCI Price Performance

NYSE:MSCI opened at $567.72 on Tuesday. MSCI has a 1 year low of $501.08 and a 1 year high of $626.28. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $547.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $561.39. The company has a market cap of $41.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.18, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $518.95 per share, with a total value of $415,160.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,493,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $775,231,900.65. This trade represents a 0.05% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 3.76% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSCI

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,320,761 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,884,233,000 after purchasing an additional 39,450 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,467,556 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,415,713,000 after purchasing an additional 52,242 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 27.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 724,618 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $417,916,000 after purchasing an additional 156,891 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 560,179 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $321,391,000 after purchasing an additional 14,149 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 505,374 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $289,948,000 after purchasing an additional 9,050 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results: MSCI reported EPS of $4.55, which beat consensus estimates and is the headline driver supporting the stock today. Business Wire: MSCI Reports Financial Results for First Quarter 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Insider buying: CEO Henry A. Fernandez and other insiders have been net purchasers (Quiver reports ~23 purchases by the CEO totaling ~19,300 shares), a vote of confidence that investors often view as bullish. QuiverQuant: MSCI Releases Q1 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst outlook: Recent analyst coverage still skews favorable with a median 6‑month target well above the current price (median ~$685), supporting upside expectations. QuiverQuant: Analyst price targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue picture mixed: Reported revenue was about $850.8M; some data providers show this roughly in line with expectations, others flag a small miss — leaving the net revenue reaction muted. QuiverQuant: Revenue details
• Neutral Sentiment: Index governance action: MSCI announced it will keep curbs on Indonesian stocks while reviewing market reforms — a procedural/index-maintenance move that affects markets MSCI indexes cover but is not a direct revenue event. Firstpost: MSCI keeps curbs on Indonesian stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Large institutional reweighting: Several big managers trimmed positions (notably UBS AM’s large reduction) even as others added, creating mixed demand pressure and increased short-term volatility risk. QuiverQuant: Hedge fund & institutional activity
• Negative Sentiment: Business sensitivity: Coverage notes debate over how asset‑based/index licensing fees hold up in volatile markets — a reminder MSCI’s revenue can be cyclical and may face pressure if markets weaken. Investing.com: Can asset-based fees weather volatility?

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MSCI. Evercore lifted their target price on MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Raymond James Financial raised MSCI from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $710.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded MSCI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. UBS Group set a $638.00 price objective on MSCI in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $715.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MSCI currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $665.89.

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.