Fulcrum Asset Management LLP Raises Holdings in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Fulcrum Asset Management increased its stake in MSCI by 161.2% in Q4, now holding 5,026 shares worth $2.884 million, and institutional investors collectively own about 89.97% of the stock.
• MSCI beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $4.55 (vs. $4.38) and revenue of $850.8M (up 14.1%), and analysts have an average rating of Moderate Buy with a $692.70 price target.
• Insider moves included a 10,000‑share sale by Alvise J. Munari and a 6,000‑share purchase by CEO Henry Fernandez, and MSCI announced a quarterly dividend of $2.05 ($8.20 annual, ~1.4% yield) payable May 29.

Fulcrum Asset Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 161.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,026 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,102 shares during the quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP's holdings in MSCI were worth $2,884,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MSCI. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in MSCI by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,003 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,133,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in MSCI by 39.0% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 6,585 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,724,000 after buying an additional 1,846 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in MSCI by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the technology company's stock worth $607,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in MSCI by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 35,130 shares of the technology company's stock worth $20,261,000 after buying an additional 344 shares during the period. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in MSCI in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $88,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MSCI. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $730.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings cut MSCI from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $715.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $655.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, MSCI presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $692.70.

Insider Activity at MSCI

In related news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 6,000 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $524.18 per share, with a total value of $3,145,080.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,493,047 shares in the company, valued at $782,625,376.46. This represents a 0.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MSCI Stock Up 0.9%

MSCI opened at $587.63 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $42.78 billion, a PE ratio of 33.56, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50 day moving average of $561.05 and a 200-day moving average of $564.44. MSCI Inc has a 52 week low of $501.08 and a 52 week high of $626.28.

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

MSCI Dividend Announcement

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

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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