Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Has $4.52 Million Position in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer cut its MSCI stake by 96.4% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 7,884 shares worth about $4.52 million after selling more than 209,000 shares.
• MSCI posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.55 versus $4.38 expected and revenue of $850.8 million versus $830.9 million expected, while revenue rose 14.1% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share, payable May 29, which annualizes to $8.20 per share and a yield of about 1.5%.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich reduced its stake in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 96.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,884 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 209,788 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings in MSCI were worth $4,523,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in MSCI by 7.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,003 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,133,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in shares of MSCI by 39.0% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 6,585 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $3,724,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of MSCI by 20.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $607,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in shares of MSCI by 1.0% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 35,130 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $20,261,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the period. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of MSCI in the second quarter valued at approximately $88,000. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

MSCI Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of MSCI stock opened at $562.01 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $561.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $565.79. The company has a market cap of $40.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.10, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.24. MSCI Inc has a 1 year low of $501.08 and a 1 year high of $626.28.

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

MSCI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. MSCI's payout ratio is currently 46.83%.

Key Stories Impacting MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MSCI’s May index review added several Indian names, including Federal Bank, Indian Bank, MCX, and Nalco, to the Global Standard Index, a change that could drive passive inflows into those stocks. Federal Bank, Indian Bank, MCX & Nalco in MSCI Global
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more bullish on MSCI after earnings, suggesting the company’s recent results and index franchise remain strong. Multiple Analysts Turn Bullish On MSCI Inc (MSCI) Post Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Asian markets rose broadly, with the MSCI Asia Pacific Index on track for a sixth straight weekly gain, reflecting strong risk appetite across global equities. Global Market Today: Asian stocks rise after AI rally spurs US gauges
• Negative Sentiment: MSCI also removed six companies from its Indonesia-related index review, which weighed on Indonesian shares and highlighted the downside risk for companies excluded from its benchmarks. Indonesian stocks slide after MSCI culls six companies from its index

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MSCI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $715.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore lifted their price target on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $730.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of MSCI from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSCI has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $692.70.

MSCI Profile

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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