MSCI Inc $MSCI Stock Position Trimmed by IFP Advisors Inc

Key Points

• IFP Advisors Inc sharply reduced its MSCI stake by 89.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,278 shares and leaving it with 274 shares valued at about $157,000.
• MSCI reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $4.55 EPS versus the $4.38 estimate and revenue of $850.8 million, up 14.1% year over year.
• Analysts remain bullish on the stock, with multiple firms issuing buy-like ratings and a consensus price target of $697.70, above the recent share price near $630.

IFP Advisors Inc cut its position in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 89.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 274 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 2,278 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in MSCI were worth $157,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MSCI. Aviso Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of MSCI by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 375 shares of the technology company's stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of MSCI by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 568 shares of the technology company's stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Keel Point LLC raised its position in shares of MSCI by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 622 shares of the technology company's stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of MSCI by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,074 shares of the technology company's stock worth $616,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MSCI Stock Performance

Shares of MSCI opened at $630.39 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $570.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $567.12. MSCI Inc has a 52 week low of $501.08 and a 52 week high of $640.27. The company has a market capitalization of $45.89 billion, a PE ratio of 36.00, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $830.91 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.00 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. MSCI's payout ratio is currently 46.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of MSCI in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $700.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $730.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of MSCI from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $650.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $697.70.

Insider Activity at MSCI

In other MSCI news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $592.04, for a total value of $5,920,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 23,548 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,941,357.92. The trade was a 29.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $252,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Insiders own 3.76% of the company's stock.

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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