Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Boosts Holdings in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Arrowstreet Capital increased its MSCI stake by 13.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 89,399 additional shares and bringing its holding to 737,063 shares worth about $422.9 million.
• MSCI reported better-than-expected first-quarter results, with EPS of $4.55 versus the $4.38 estimate and revenue of $850.8 million, up 14.1% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share, while analysts remain broadly bullish with a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $697.70.

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 13.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 737,063 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 89,399 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned approximately 1.00% of MSCI worth $422,875,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in MSCI by 341.7% during the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in MSCI during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MSCI during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in MSCI during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in MSCI during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of the company's stock.

MSCI Stock Performance

MSCI stock opened at $599.14 on Friday. MSCI Inc has a one year low of $501.08 and a one year high of $644.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.62 billion, a PE ratio of 34.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a fifty day moving average of $584.93 and a 200-day moving average of $570.38.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.38 by $0.17. MSCI had a net margin of 40.74% and a negative return on equity of 65.48%. The company had revenue of $850.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $830.91 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.00 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. MSCI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In related news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $592.04, for a total value of $5,920,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at $13,941,357.92. This trade represents a 29.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $252,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 22,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,624,640. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 3.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSCI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $730.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of MSCI from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $650.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of MSCI in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $700.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $697.70.

About MSCI

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.

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