Evercore ISI Issues Positive Forecast for MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Stock Price

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at Evercore ISI from $655.00 to $690.00 in a report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the technology company’s stock. Evercore ISI’s price objective points to a potential upside of 13.92% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on MSCI. Seaport Research Partners upgraded MSCI to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of MSCI from $590.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group set a $638.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of MSCI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $654.50.

MSCI Trading Down 1.5%

MSCI traded down $9.17 on Thursday, hitting $605.70. The company had a trading volume of 48,094 shares, compared to its average volume of 417,374. The firm has a market cap of $45.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.44, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $571.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $565.62. MSCI has a 1 year low of $486.73 and a 1 year high of $621.38.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $822.53 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $819.51 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 110.94% and a net margin of 40.03%.The company’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.18 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that MSCI will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Robert J. Gutowski sold 624 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.42, for a total value of $348,454.08. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 15,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,904,006.90. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 2,290 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $179,653,945.73. The trade was a 0.69% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSCI

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MSCI. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSCI by 341.7% during the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MSCI in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in MSCI in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and solid growth: MSCI reported EPS $4.66 vs. consensus $4.62 and revenue $822.5M (up ~10.6% YoY), driven by subscription-led growth and higher asset‑based fees — the company also published its press release and slide deck. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend boost: MSCI raised its quarterly dividend to $2.05 (13.9% increase), showing cash-return commitment to shareholders and supporting income-oriented holders. (Ex‑dividend Feb 13; pay Feb 27.)
• Positive Sentiment: Strong customer retention: Management highlighted ~93% retention and sticky subscription revenue, underscoring durable recurring cash flow. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and analyst commentary are available for deeper read‑through; analysts broadly remain constructive with mixed price targets above the current level. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/index backdrop: The MSCI Global Index has seen strong gains (reported >21% in 2025), a tailwind for index licensing and ETF-related revenues over time. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Soft/expensive 2026 outlook: Management flagged higher full‑year expenses and provided cautious guidance for 2026, which investors view as a near‑term headwind to margins and free cash flow. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares dropped after the print: despite the beat, several outlets noted the stock slipped as investors parsed margin/expense guidance and 2026 visibility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Index governance controversy — Indonesia: MSCI paused a rebalancing and flagged investability/free‑float concerns for Indonesian listings, triggering a market plunge there and prompting government scrutiny; this raises reputational and potential regulatory risk around MSCI index decisions. Read More.

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.