MSCI Inc $MSCI Shares Sold by Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA

Key Points

• Q1 earnings beat: MSCI reported EPS of $4.55 versus $4.38 expected and revenue of $850.8M (up 14.1% year-over-year), with management citing margin expansion as the primary catalyst for the rally.
• Insider and institutional moves: CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 6,000 shares for about $3.15M, raising his stake to ~1.493M shares, while Loring Wolcott & Coolidge cut its position by 8.2% to 30,965 shares worth $18.0M.
• Capital returns and analyst tone: MSCI declared a $2.05 quarterly dividend (1.3% yield) and received multiple price-target increases and upgrades, leaving a consensus rating of Buy with an average target of $692.70.

Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA cut its position in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,965 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 2,764 shares during the quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA's holdings in MSCI were worth $18,014,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in MSCI in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MSCI during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of MSCI during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $524.18 per share, with a total value of $3,145,080.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,493,047 shares in the company, valued at approximately $782,625,376.46. This trade represents a 0.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MSCI Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE MSCI opened at $607.55 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $44.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.30. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $551.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $561.97. MSCI Inc has a fifty-two week low of $501.08 and a fifty-two week high of $626.28.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.38 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $850.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $830.91 million. MSCI had a net margin of 40.74% and a negative return on equity of 65.48%. MSCI's revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.00 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 19.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. MSCI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.26%.

Key Stories Impacting MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat and revenue growth: MSCI reported Q1 EPS above consensus and revenue growth driven by recurring sales in index and analytics, which is the primary catalyst for the rally. MSCI Q1 earnings top consensus, aided by recurring sales in index and analytics segments
• Positive Sentiment: Margin expansion and capital returns: Management showed stronger operating and EBITDA margins and reiterated buybacks while declaring a $2.05 quarterly dividend, both supportive of valuation. MSCI jumps after Q1 earnings beat, margin expansion, and fresh capital-return updates
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target increases: Multiple firms (including UBS, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo and RBC) raised targets or maintained bullish ratings after the results, providing additional buy-side momentum. Benzinga coverage of analyst price target updates
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder approval on governance matters: At the April 21 annual meeting shareholders backed the board, compensation plan and auditor, removing near-term governance uncertainty. MSCI Shareholders Back Board, Pay Plan and Auditor
• Neutral Sentiment: External review finds risk profile unchanged: An external review concluded MSCI's risk profile remains consistent with its 2025 10-K, which neither adds fresh risk nor provides a new catalyst. MSCI External Review Finds Risk Profile Unchanged From 2025 10-K, Keeps Focus on Existing Disclosures
• Neutral Sentiment: Indonesia index review extended: MSCI extended its review/suspension related to Indonesian equities to June, prompting local pushback — this is more relevant to Indonesian market participants than to MSCI revenue in the near term. MSCI extends review of Indonesian stock market reforms to June
• Negative Sentiment: Minor revenue timing/mix miss in some reports: Some data feeds noted a small revenue miss versus certain estimates (EPS still beat), which could temper upside if investors focus on near-term subscription timing. MSCI ($MSCI) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MSCI. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on MSCI from $545.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded MSCI from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $730.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $715.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $692.70.

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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