Ownership Capital B.V. Sells 9,150 Shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI)

Ownership Capital B.V. cut its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 267,128 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 9,150 shares during the quarter. MSCI makes up 3.4% of Ownership Capital B.V.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Ownership Capital B.V.’s holdings in MSCI were worth $151,101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in MSCI by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 11,602 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,563,000 after buying an additional 3,075 shares in the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of MSCI by 35.4% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 688 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. GHE LLC increased its stake in shares of MSCI by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. GHE LLC now owns 4,801 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,716,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in shares of MSCI by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 509 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI during the 4th quarter worth about $111,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSCI Stock Performance

Shares of MSCI stock traded up $13.29 on Friday, reaching $477.78. 1,040,942 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 758,208. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $541.71 and its 200-day moving average is $537.78. MSCI Inc. has a one year low of $439.95 and a one year high of $617.39. The firm has a market cap of $37.85 billion, a PE ratio of 32.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $3.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.44 by $0.08. MSCI had a net margin of 44.55% and a negative return on equity of 121.86%. The company had revenue of $680.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.47 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that MSCI Inc. will post 14.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.60 per share. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.69%.

Insider Transactions at MSCI

In related news, COO Cd Baer Pettit acquired 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $459.41 per share, with a total value of $3,445,575.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now directly owns 291,038 shares in the company, valued at $133,705,767.58. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Cd Baer Pettit acquired 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $459.41 per share, with a total value of $3,445,575.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now directly owns 291,038 shares in the company, valued at $133,705,767.58. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 13,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $465.92 per share, with a total value of $6,056,960.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 327,479 shares in the company, valued at $152,579,015.68. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MSCI shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of MSCI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of MSCI in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of MSCI from $615.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of MSCI from $700.00 to $575.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of MSCI in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MSCI currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $562.87.

MSCI Company Profile

MSCI Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides critical decision support tools and solutions for the investment community to manage investment processes worldwide. The Index segment provides indexes for use in various areas of the investment process, including indexed financial product, such as ETFs, mutual funds, annuities, futures, options, structured products, and over-the-counter derivatives; performance benchmarking; portfolio construction and rebalancing; and asset allocation, as well as licenses GICS and GICS Direct.