Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd Increases Stake in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Fairtree Asset Management increased its stake in MSCI by 66.5% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 5,374 shares valued at about $3.08 million.
• MSCI reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $4.55 per share and revenue of $850.8 million, both beating analyst expectations and rising 14.1% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share, while analysts remain broadly positive with an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $692.70.

Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 66.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,374 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,147 shares during the period. MSCI comprises 1.4% of Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd's holdings in MSCI were worth $3,083,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSCI during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 341.7% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in MSCI in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in MSCI during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in MSCI during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at MSCI

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

MSCI Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE MSCI opened at $578.89 on Wednesday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $562.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $565.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.24. MSCI Inc has a 12-month low of $501.08 and a 12-month high of $626.28.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 65.48% and a net margin of 40.74%.The firm had revenue of $850.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $830.91 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.00 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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 issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. MSCI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSCI has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on MSCI from $719.00 to $727.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on MSCI from $545.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $730.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $655.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $715.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $692.70.

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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