Strategic Global Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI)

Strategic Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,047 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the quarter. MSCI comprises approximately 1.7% of Strategic Global Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Strategic Global Advisors LLC's holdings in MSCI were worth $9,028,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at about $609,937,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in MSCI by 16,353.6% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 587,557 shares of the technology company's stock worth $352,539,000 after buying an additional 583,986 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in MSCI by 169.4% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 507,413 shares of the technology company's stock worth $304,453,000 after buying an additional 319,083 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in MSCI during the fourth quarter worth about $185,003,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in MSCI during the fourth quarter worth about $126,082,000. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSCI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of MSCI from $680.00 to $650.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $585.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of MSCI from $675.00 to $650.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of MSCI from $532.00 to $530.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $645.36.

MSCI Price Performance

MSCI stock traded down $11.50 on Wednesday, hitting $559.71. 509,416 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 520,281. MSCI Inc. has a twelve month low of $475.32 and a twelve month high of $642.45. The business's fifty day moving average is $551.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $579.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.33.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $4.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.88 by $0.12. MSCI had a net margin of 38.83% and a negative return on equity of 156.08%. The firm had revenue of $745.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $746.45 million. Equities research analysts expect that MSCI Inc. will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.80 dividend. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. MSCI's payout ratio is currently 49.48%.

Insider Transactions at MSCI

In other news, COO Cd Baer Pettit sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $552.59, for a total value of $2,762,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 289,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $160,133,398.33. This represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 5,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $574.51 per share, with a total value of $3,044,903.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,269,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $729,599,549.01. This trade represents a 0.42% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 3.31% of the company's stock.

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.