Danske Bank A S Has $30.40 Million Stock Position in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Danske Bank A/S trimmed its MSCI stake by 23.4%, selling 16,216 shares to end the quarter with 52,987 shares valued at about $30.4 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $692.70, and several firms recently raising or reiterating targets.
• MSCI beat estimates with quarterly EPS of $4.55 (vs. $4.38 est.) and revenue of $850.8M (up 14.1%), and announced a quarterly dividend of $2.05 (annualized $8.20, yield 1.4%; ex-dividend May 15).

Danske Bank A S lowered its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 23.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,987 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 16,216 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S owned about 0.07% of MSCI worth $30,400,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in MSCI during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in MSCI during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in MSCI during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSCI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on MSCI from $719.00 to $727.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on MSCI in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $700.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on MSCI from $545.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $715.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $692.70.

Insider Transactions at MSCI

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $518.95 per share, with a total value of $415,160.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,493,847 shares in the company, valued at $775,231,900.65. This trade represents a 0.05% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was 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 directly owned 23,548 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. This trade represents a 29.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 3.76% of the company's stock.

MSCI Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE MSCI opened at $589.11 on Friday. MSCI Inc has a 12 month low of $501.08 and a 12 month high of $626.28. The business's 50-day moving average price is $558.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $563.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.89 billion, a PE ratio of 33.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $830.91 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.00 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. MSCI's dividend payout ratio is 46.83%.

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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