MSCI Inc $MSCI is GCQ FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY Ltd's 2nd Largest Position

Key Points

• GCQ FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY Ltd boosted its MSCI stake by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, making MSCI its 2nd-largest holding. The fund now owns 193,013 shares worth about $110.7 million.
• MSCI reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.55 versus estimates of $4.38 and revenue of $850.8 million versus $830.9 million expected. Revenue also rose 14.1% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $692.70. MSCI also announced a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share, payable May 29.

GCQ FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY Ltd increased its stake in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 193,013 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 23,836 shares during the period. MSCI accounts for about 15.2% of GCQ FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. GCQ FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY Ltd owned about 0.26% of MSCI worth $110,737,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MSCI. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 499.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 874,882 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $496,417,000 after acquiring an additional 728,900 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 91.8% in the 3rd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 691,554 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $392,395,000 after acquiring an additional 331,040 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,069,180 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $606,674,000 after acquiring an additional 282,859 shares in the last quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 103.3% in the 4th quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 523,035 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $300,081,000 after acquiring an additional 265,750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,394,117 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,358,446,000 after acquiring an additional 223,784 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In other news, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $252,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 22,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,624,640. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $518.95 per share, for a total transaction of $415,160.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,493,847 shares in the company, valued at $775,231,900.65. This represents a 0.05% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 3.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSCI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on MSCI from $719.00 to $727.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $655.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on MSCI from $545.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective 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 assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $692.70.

MSCI Stock Down 0.6%

MSCI opened at $584.68 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $561.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $564.44. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.38 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $850.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $830.91 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 65.48% and a net margin of 40.74%.The company's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.00 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. MSCI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.83%.

MSCI 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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