MSCI Inc $MSCI Stake Lessened by Manning & Napier Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Manning & Napier Advisors LLC cut its MSCI stake by 21.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 1,893 shares and leaving it with 7,059 shares valued at about $4.11 million.
• MSCI reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.55 beating estimates 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 maintained a generally positive view with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $692.70.

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 21.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,059 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 1,893 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC's holdings in MSCI were worth $4,110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Aviso Financial Inc. boosted its position in MSCI by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 859 shares of the technology company's stock worth $487,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MSCI by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 375 shares of the technology company's stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MSCI by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 568 shares of the technology company's stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Keel Point LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 3.0% during the third quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 622 shares of the technology company's stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 4.3% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 509 shares of the technology company's stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

MSCI Trading Down 0.6%

MSCI stock opened at $584.68 on Friday. MSCI Inc has a 1-year low of $501.08 and a 1-year high of $626.28. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $561.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $564.44. The company has a market capitalization of $42.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 the consensus estimate of $830.91 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.00 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. 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 46.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 800 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $518.95 per share, for a total transaction of $415,160.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,493,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at $775,231,900.65. This represents a 0.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 22,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,624,640. This represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 3.76% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $715.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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, April 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered MSCI from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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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