VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Takes Position in MSCI Inc $MSCI

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 75,420 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,238,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSCI. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $528,560,000. Retail Employees Superannuation Pty Ltd as trustee for Retail Employees Superannuation Trust purchased a new position in MSCI in the fourth quarter worth $13,636,000. SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. acquired a new stake in MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at $1,406,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc lifted its holdings in MSCI by 5,509.7% in the fourth quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 83,080 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $47,665,000 after acquiring an additional 81,599 shares during the period. Finally, FourThought Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of MSCI by 19.0% during the 4th quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 11,674 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,697,000 after purchasing an additional 1,862 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSCI Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of MSCI stock opened at $572.27 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $41.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.22. MSCI Inc has a fifty-two week low of $501.08 and a fifty-two week high of $644.77. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $579.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $574.92.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The technology company reported $4.94 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.99 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $867.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $870.71 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 55.19% and a net margin of 40.74%.MSCI’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.17 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is 44.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MSCI. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of MSCI from $730.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $690.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of MSCI from $700.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of MSCI from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $709.50.

Key MSCI News

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director Rajat Taneja significantly increased his MSCI stake on September 4. The insider purchase may signal confidence in the company’s long-term outlook and provide modest support for investor sentiment. Prominent MSCI Insider Makes Bold Move With Fresh Stock Purchase
• Positive Sentiment: MSCI’s Asia-Pacific equity index rose as easing expectations for Federal Reserve policy helped lift global equities. A more favorable market environment can support demand for MSCI’s benchmarks, analytics and investment products, although this is an indirect benefit. Global Market Today: Asian Stocks Rise as Fed Rate-Hike Bets Ease
• Neutral Sentiment: MSCI will participate in Barclays’ Annual Global Financial Services Conference on September 14, with CFO Andy Wiechmann scheduled for a fireside chat. The event could provide updates on strategy, demand and financial performance, but no new guidance was announced. MSCI to Participate in Barclays Annual Global Financial Services Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Several reports focus on MSCI removing India-based Swiggy from its Global Standard and related indexes effective September 7 because of foreign-ownership restrictions. The change may cause passive-fund flows in Swiggy, but it is a routine index decision and is not expected to materially affect MSCI’s own revenue or earnings. Swiggy Shares in Focus as MSCI Removes Stock From Global Standard Indexes

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.