MSCI Inc $MSCI Position Reduced by PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

Key Points

• PNC Financial Services Group cut its MSCI stake by 11% in the fourth quarter, selling 1,815 shares and ending with 14,664 shares valued at about $8.4 million.
• MSCI reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $4.55 versus estimates of $4.38 and revenue of $850.8 million, up 14.1% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share, while analysts remain broadly positive with an average Buy rating and an average price target of $692.70.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 11.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,664 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 1,815 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.'s holdings in MSCI were worth $8,413,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in MSCI during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 341.7% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of MSCI in the second quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

MSCI Stock Performance

NYSE MSCI opened at $588.97 on Monday. MSCI Inc has a twelve month low of $501.08 and a twelve month high of $626.28. The stock has a market cap of $42.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.64, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.24. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $564.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $565.98.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.38 by $0.17. MSCI had a net margin of 40.74% and a negative return on equity of 65.48%. The firm had revenue of $850.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $830.91 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.00 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at MSCI

In other MSCI news, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $252,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,624,640. The trade was a 1.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of MSCI 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 transaction, the insider owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. The trade was a 29.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 3.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on MSCI shares. Evercore upped their price target on MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group upped their price target on MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $730.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on MSCI in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $700.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSCI currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $692.70.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSCI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.