MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Shares Sold by Fiera Capital Corp

Key Points

• Fiera Capital Corp reduced its stake in MSCI Inc by 17.4%, now holding approximately 949,168 shares worth $536.76 million, which accounts for about 1.9% of its total holdings.
• Institutional investors own 89.97% of MSCI's stock, indicating significant interest from large financial entities.
• MSCI recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.80 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 1.30% and a dividend payout ratio of 47.68%.

Fiera Capital Corp trimmed its stake in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 17.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 949,168 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 199,447 shares during the period. MSCI accounts for 1.9% of Fiera Capital Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Fiera Capital Corp owned approximately 1.23% of MSCI worth $536,755,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new position in MSCI during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in MSCI during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its position in MSCI by 50.0% during the first quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 66 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in MSCI by 293.8% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 63 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its position in MSCI by 122.6% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 69 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at MSCI

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 84 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $548.69 per share, with a total value of $46,089.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,279,951 shares in the company, valued at $702,296,314.19. This trade represents a 0.01% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Cd Baer Pettit sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $552.59, for a total value of $2,762,950.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 289,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $160,133,398.33. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 12,400 shares of company stock worth $6,731,599. 3.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MSCI shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $585.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of MSCI from $673.00 to $631.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $675.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of MSCI from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $650.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, July 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $654.73.

MSCI Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of MSCI traded down $6.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $555.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 632,258 shares, compared to its average volume of 598,405. The company's 50-day moving average is $563.67 and its 200-day moving average is $565.49. MSCI Inc has a 52-week low of $486.73 and a 52-week high of $642.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.82, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.32.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $4.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.12 by $0.05. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 143.13% and a net margin of 39.46%. The company had revenue of $772.68 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $763.06 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.64 earnings per share. MSCI's revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MSCI Inc will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. MSCI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.68%.

About MSCI

MSCI Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides critical decision support tools and solutions for the investment community to manage investment processes worldwide. The Index segment provides indexes for use in various areas of the investment process, including indexed financial product, such as ETFs, mutual funds, annuities, futures, options, structured products, and over-the-counter derivatives; performance benchmarking; portfolio construction and rebalancing; and asset allocation, as well as licenses GICS and GICS Direct.