Inceptionr LLC Trims Stake in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Inceptionr LLC lessened its stake in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 62.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 903 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,520 shares during the quarter. Inceptionr LLC’s holdings in MSCI were worth $512,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 2nd quarter worth about $547,348,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 499.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 874,882 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $496,417,000 after acquiring an additional 728,900 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its position in shares of MSCI by 91.8% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 691,554 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $392,395,000 after acquiring an additional 331,040 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in MSCI by 36.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,069,180 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $606,674,000 after purchasing an additional 282,859 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Pictet & Cie SA acquired a new position in MSCI during the third quarter worth approximately $145,986,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSCI Stock Down 2.6%

MSCI stock opened at $549.87 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $570.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $565.36. MSCI Inc has a 52-week low of $486.73 and a 52-week high of $626.28. The company has a market capitalization of $40.40 billion, a PE ratio of 35.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.29.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $822.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $819.51 million. MSCI had a net margin of 38.36% and a negative return on equity of 82.59%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.18 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 16.86 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This is an increase from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. MSCI’s payout ratio is 52.26%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $524.18 per share, for a total transaction of $3,145,080.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,493,047 shares in the company, valued at approximately $782,625,376.46. The trade was a 0.40% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.00, for a total value of $247,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 21,639 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,901,450. This represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 3.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore increased their target price on MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $690.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded MSCI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $655.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $671.78.

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.