MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Analysts

Shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $683.69.

Several research firms have recently commented on MSCI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on MSCI from $729.00 to $684.00 in a report on Friday, October 9th. Barclays boosted their price objective on MSCI from $735.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on MSCI from $570.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on MSCI from $662.00 to $671.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on MSCI from $685.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st.

MSCI Stock Up 1.6%

MSCI opened at $656.62 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $46.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.20. MSCI has a fifty-two week low of $501.08 and a fifty-two week high of $681.04. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $578.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $575.59.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The technology company reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.03 by $0.08. MSCI had a net margin of 40.31% and a negative return on equity of 50.69%. The firm had revenue of $892.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $887.83 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.47 earnings per share. MSCI’s revenue was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that MSCI will post 19.59 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. MSCI’s payout ratio is 43.41%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSCI

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MSCI during the second quarter worth approximately $3,062,626,000. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new position in MSCI in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,798,710,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in MSCI in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $480,613,000. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new stake in MSCI in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $301,493,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in MSCI during the 2nd quarter valued at $257,687,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

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.