Norges Bank Acquires New Stake in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Norges Bank disclosed a new stake in MSCI, buying 921,269 shares valued at about $528.6 million. The position amounted to roughly 1.23% of MSCI at quarter-end.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with about 89.97% of MSCI shares held by hedge funds and other institutions. Several smaller investors also added new positions during the quarter.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: multiple firms raised ratings or price targets, and MarketBeat data shows MSCI has an average Buy rating with a consensus price target of $697.70.

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 921,269 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $528,560,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.23% of MSCI at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MSCI by 341.7% during the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI during the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI in the third quarter worth about $36,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSCI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MSCI from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $655.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $730.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of MSCI from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $650.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of MSCI from $719.00 to $727.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. 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 currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $697.70.

MSCI Stock Performance

NYSE MSCI opened at $630.39 on Monday. MSCI Inc has a fifty-two week low of $501.08 and a fifty-two week high of $640.27. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $570.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $567.05. The stock has a market cap of $45.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.38 by $0.17. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 65.48% and a net margin of 40.74%.The company had revenue of $850.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $830.91 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.00 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. MSCI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.83%.

Key MSCI News

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MSCI-related research highlighted valuation support for MSCI Inc. NYSE: MSCI after a Wells Fargo upgrade, alongside ongoing AI-demand tailwinds that could support sentiment toward the company’s index and analytics business. A Look At MSCI NYSE: MSCI Valuation After Wells Fargo Upgrade And AI Demand Tailwinds
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market coverage centered on the mechanics of MSCI rebalancing and how it drove a steep selloff in Indian equities, boosting trading volumes and volatility but not directly indicating a fundamental change in MSCI Inc.’s business outlook. The MSCI rebalancing candle: Here's why Sensex fell 850 points in 10 minutes today
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on India’s lower weight in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index reflected broader allocation shifts tied to the global AI boom, which may influence index flows and investor focus, but is mainly relevant as a market-structure story. Why India is losing weight in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index amid the global AI boom
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports said MSCI-driven passive outflows contributed to a broad Indian market downturn, including a large one-day foreign investor selloff, which may weigh on near-term sentiment around MSCI’s index-rebalancing franchise. MSCI index rejig, US-Iran deal worries spook Dalal Street

Insider Transactions at MSCI

In related news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was 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 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,624,640. The trade was a 1.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 3.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About MSCI

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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