MSCI Inc $MSCI Shares Bought by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its MSCI stake by 506.2% in the fourth quarter, ending with 44,619 shares worth about $25.6 million. Institutional investors now own 89.97% of MSCI’s stock.
• MSCI reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.55 beating estimates of $4.38 and revenue rising 14.1% year over year to $850.8 million. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share, or $8.20 annualized.
• Analysts remain mostly bullish on MSCI, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $692.70. However, insider selling included recent share sales by the CFO and another executive, while the stock traded around $578.89, down 0.9% on the day.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 506.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 44,619 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 37,258 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned about 0.06% of MSCI worth $25,599,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 341.7% during the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI during the second quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of the company's stock.

MSCI Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of MSCI stock opened at $578.89 on Wednesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $562.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $565.96. MSCI Inc has a 52 week low of $501.08 and a 52 week high of $626.28. The stock has a market cap of $42.14 billion, a PE ratio of 33.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 EPS 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 business earned $4.00 earnings per share. MSCI's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MSCI shares. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $700.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of MSCI from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $730.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $692.70.

Insider Activity

In other MSCI news, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $252,000.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. This trade represents a 29.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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