MSCI Inc $MSCI Shares Bought by Americana Partners LLC

Key Points

• Americana Partners LLC more than doubled its MSCI stake in the fourth quarter, increasing holdings by 116.9% to 7,458 shares worth about $4.28 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, and Wall Street sentiment remains positive with an average “Buy” rating and an average target price of $692.70.

Americana Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 116.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,458 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 4,020 shares during the quarter. Americana Partners LLC's holdings in MSCI were worth $4,279,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSCI Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MSCI opened at $588.97 on Friday. MSCI Inc has a 1 year low of $501.08 and a 1 year high of $626.28. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $564.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $566.08. The firm has a market cap of $42.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $830.91 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.00 earnings per share. MSCI's revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on MSCI shares. Evercore increased their price target on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MSCI from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $715.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $692.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MSCI news, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the 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 owned 22,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,624,640. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 the 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 directly owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. This represents a 29.81% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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