Aberdeen Group plc Sells 14,600 Shares of MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc reduced its stake in MSCI Inc by 20.8%, now holding 55,515 shares valued at approximately $31 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of MSCI's stock, indicating strong institutional support for the company.
• MSCI recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.80, representing an annualized yield of 1.3% and a payout ratio of 47.68%.

Aberdeen Group plc lowered its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 20.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 55,515 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 14,600 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.07% of MSCI worth $31,033,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 23.2% during the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 812 shares of the technology company's stock worth $459,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of MSCI by 336.4% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 96 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC raised its position in shares of MSCI by 6.5% in the first quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 524 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $556,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of MSCI by 8.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 894 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of MSCI from $578.00 to $533.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of MSCI from $650.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of MSCI from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $650.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MSCI presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $654.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez purchased 84 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $548.69 per share, for a total transaction of $46,089.96. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,279,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $702,296,314.19. This trade represents a 0.01% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 12,400 shares of company stock valued at $6,731,599. Company insiders own 3.31% of the company's stock.

MSCI Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE MSCI traded down $6.7520 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $567.4980. 535,513 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 605,342. The stock has a market cap of $43.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.58, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.29. MSCI Inc has a one year low of $486.73 and a one year high of $642.45. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $562.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $560.63.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $4.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.12 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $772.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $763.06 million. MSCI had a net margin of 39.46% and a negative return on equity of 143.13%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 16.86 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $1.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. MSCI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.68%.

About MSCI

MSCI Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides critical decision support tools and solutions for the investment community to manage investment processes worldwide. The Index segment provides indexes for use in various areas of the investment process, including indexed financial product, such as ETFs, mutual funds, annuities, futures, options, structured products, and over-the-counter derivatives; performance benchmarking; portfolio construction and rebalancing; and asset allocation, as well as licenses GICS and GICS Direct.