MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Shares Sold by Gulf International Bank UK Ltd

Key Points

• Gulf International Bank UK Ltd reduced its position in MSCI Inc by 26.9%, now owning 4,578 shares valued at approximately $2.59 million.
• MSCI announced a quarterly dividend of $1.80 per share, with a yield of 1.3%, set to be paid on August 29th.
• Analysts mostly rate MSCI as a "Moderate Buy," with price targets ranging from $533 to $700 based on various brokerage updates.

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd cut its holdings in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 26.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,578 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 1,686 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd's holdings in MSCI were worth $2,588,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its holdings in MSCI by 23.2% in the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 812 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $459,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 336.4% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 96 shares of the technology company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 524 shares of the technology company's stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 4th quarter worth $556,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 894 shares of the technology company's stock worth $506,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on MSCI shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on MSCI from $578.00 to $533.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on MSCI from $650.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on MSCI from $655.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Raymond James Financial upgraded MSCI from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $650.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $654.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSCI 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 purchased at an average price of $548.69 per share, for a total transaction of $46,089.96. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,279,951 shares in the company, valued at $702,296,314.19. The trade was a 0.01% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have bought a total of 12,400 shares of company stock worth $6,731,599 in the last quarter. 3.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MSCI Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE:MSCI traded down $8.80 on Friday, reaching $556.92. The stock had a trading volume of 372,332 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,024,423. The company has a 50-day moving average of $561.90 and a 200 day moving average of $561.20. The stock has a market cap of $43.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.29. MSCI Inc has a 12-month low of $486.73 and a 12-month high of $642.45.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $4.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.12 by $0.05. MSCI had a net margin of 39.46% and a negative return on equity of 143.13%. The business had revenue of $772.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $763.06 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.64 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that MSCI Inc will post 16.86 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. MSCI's dividend payout ratio is 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.