Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $18.25 Million Holdings in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Lazard Asset Management increased its MSCI stake by 26.5% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 33,864 shares worth approximately $18.25 million. Institutional investors collectively own 89.97% of MSCI’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $709.50; recent targets range from $615 to $735.
• MSCI’s second-quarter revenue rose 12.2% year over year to $867 million, though earnings of $4.94 per share narrowly missed estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $2.05, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 1.4%.

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 26.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,864 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,091 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in MSCI were worth $18,253,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in MSCI by 341.7% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on MSCI. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $690.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of MSCI from $715.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group set a $615.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on MSCI from $700.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised MSCI from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $709.50.

MSCI Stock Performance

MSCI opened at $583.39 on Thursday. MSCI Inc has a fifty-two week low of $501.08 and a fifty-two week high of $644.77. The company has a market capitalization of $42.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $596.46 and a 200-day moving average of $576.67.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The technology company reported $4.94 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.99 by ($0.05). MSCI had a net margin of 40.74% and a negative return on equity of 55.19%. The business had revenue of $867.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $870.71 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.17 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that MSCI Inc will post 19.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. MSCI's payout ratio is currently 44.86%.

MSCI Company 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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