MSCI Inc $MSCI Stock: Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Trims Holdings

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lessened its stake in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 50.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,900 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 11,278 shares during the quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s holdings in MSCI were worth $5,871,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSCI. Latitude Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Burkett Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in MSCI by 200.0% in the third quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 48 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MSCI in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Compound Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MSCI in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. bought a new position in MSCI in the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In other news, General Counsel Robert Gutowski sold 2,381 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $623.66, for a total value of $1,484,934.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 14,104 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,796,100.64. This trade represents a 14.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Andrew Wiechmann sold 450 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.00, for a total value of $256,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 21,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,337,080. The trade was a 2.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 3.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MSCI Price Performance

Shares of MSCI stock opened at $640.80 on Monday. MSCI Inc has a 1 year low of $501.08 and a 1 year high of $681.04. The business has a 50-day moving average of $575.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $574.97. The company has a market capitalization of $45.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.20.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 20th. The technology company reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.03 by $0.08. MSCI had a net margin of 40.31% and a negative return on equity of 50.69%. The company had revenue of $892.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $887.83 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.47 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 19.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSCI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $680.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. UBS Group set a $615.00 price target on MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $684.00 price objective (down from $704.00) on shares of MSCI in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Barclays lifted their price objective on MSCI from $735.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $680.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $683.69.

MSCI Company Profile

MSCI Inc is a global provider of investment decision-support tools and services for asset managers, banks, insurers, pension funds and other financial institutions. Its offerings include indexes used to benchmark and develop investment products, as well as portfolio risk, performance and attribution analytics.

The company also provides environmental, social and governance data and research, climate-related tools, and analytics covering private assets and real estate. These products help clients assess investments, manage portfolios and evaluate risks across public and private markets.

MSCI traces its origins to Capital International, whose indexes were introduced in 1969.