Corient Private Wealth LLC Sells 39,682 Shares of MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Corient Private Wealth LLC cut its MSCI stake by 50.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 39,682 shares and ending with 38,285 shares valued at about $22 million.
• MSCI’s latest earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $4.55 and revenue of $850.8 million, both above analyst forecasts and up 14.1% from a year earlier.
• Wall Street remains bullish on MSCI, with multiple analysts raising price targets and the stock carrying a consensus Buy rating and average price target of $697.

Corient Private Wealth LLC lowered its position in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 50.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,285 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 39,682 shares during the quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC owned about 0.05% of MSCI worth $21,967,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in MSCI during the 4th quarter valued at about $528,560,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in MSCI by 499.3% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 874,882 shares of the technology company's stock worth $496,417,000 after purchasing an additional 728,900 shares during the period. Bamco Inc. NY increased its stake in shares of MSCI by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,755,747 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,581,055,000 after purchasing an additional 361,630 shares in the last quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA increased its stake in shares of MSCI by 103.3% during the fourth quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 523,035 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $300,081,000 after purchasing an additional 265,750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Generation Investment Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of MSCI during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $130,380,000. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

MSCI Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of MSCI opened at $580.69 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $590.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $571.91. The firm has a market cap of $42.27 billion, a PE ratio of 33.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.24. MSCI Inc has a 1-year low of $501.08 and a 1-year high of $644.68.

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

MSCI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is 46.83%.

Key MSCI News

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports say MSCI’s upcoming index review could drive about $3.2 billion in passive inflows into Indian equities, underscoring the importance of MSCI’s benchmarks and the potential demand for its index products. Article: MSCI August review may trigger USD 3.2 billion passive inflows into Indian equities: JM Financial
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that MSCI may place South Korea on a watchlist and that its broader review process could affect capital flows highlight how central MSCI is to global market access and allocation decisions, which can support investor interest in the company’s index franchise. Article: South Korea's MSCI watchlist decision sparks hope and concern
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focus on MSCI’s recent ESG rating for SpaceX, including criticism that the score matched wartime Russia and that SpaceX’s stock fell after the lowest rating was assigned. This puts MSCI’s ESG framework back in the spotlight, but the direct financial impact on MSCI is unclear. Article: MSCI Gave SpaceX an ESG Score Matching Wartime Russia
• Neutral Sentiment: News about Indonesia awaiting MSCI’s verdict and possible capital outflows mainly reflects the market-moving power of MSCI’s index decisions, though it does not directly change MSCI’s operating results. Article: As public sentiment sours, Indonesia awaits MSCI verdict which risks $13 billion in capital outflows
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage criticizing MSCI’s ESG rating process for SpaceX could pressure sentiment around the company if investors view the methodology as controversial or inconsistent, even if the business impact is limited. Article: SpaceX draws MSCI's lowest ESG rating, matching Russia after Ukraine invasion

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $730.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised MSCI from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $650.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $690.00 price target on MSCI in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group upped 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have assigned a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $697.00.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction, the insider owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at $13,941,357.92. This trade represents a 29.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.76% of the company's stock.

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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