Algert Global LLC Sells 4,909 Shares of MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Algert Global LLC has reduced its stake in MSCI Inc by 82.9%, selling 4,909 shares and now holding only 1,015 shares valued at $574,000.
• CEO Henry A. Fernandez purchased 9,916 shares of MSCI for approximately $5.4 million, raising his total holdings to over $697 million.
• MSCI announced a quarterly dividend of $1.80 per share, with a dividend yield of 1.3%, to be paid on August 29th.

Algert Global LLC reduced its position in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 82.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,015 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 4,909 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC's holdings in MSCI were worth $574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in MSCI during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in MSCI during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in MSCI by 136.4% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 52 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its stake in MSCI by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 66 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in MSCI by 293.8% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 63 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of MSCI from $578.00 to $533.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of MSCI from $650.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of MSCI from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $650.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, July 25th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSCI has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $654.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In other news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 9,916 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $544.70 per share, with a total value of $5,401,245.20. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,279,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at $697,143,554.90. The trade was a 0.78% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 12,400 shares of company stock valued at $6,731,599. 3.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MSCI Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:MSCI opened at $573.6240 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $563.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $560.30. MSCI Inc has a twelve month low of $486.73 and a twelve month high of $642.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.38 billion, a PE ratio of 37.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.29.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $4.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.12 by $0.05. MSCI had a net margin of 39.46% and a negative return on equity of 143.13%. The firm had revenue of $772.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $763.06 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.64 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that MSCI Inc will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $1.80 dividend. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. MSCI's dividend payout ratio is 47.68%.

MSCI 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.

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