Pacer Advisors Inc. Decreases Stock Position in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors reduced its MSCI stake by 36.3% in the first quarter, selling 2,196 shares and retaining 3,859 shares valued at approximately $2.08 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 89.97% of MSCI.
• Analysts remain bullish, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $709.50; recent targets range from $615 to $760.
• MSCI’s latest quarterly results slightly missed expectations, with earnings of $4.94 per share and revenue of $867 million, while revenue still increased 12.2% year over year. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share, representing a 1.5% annualized yield.

Pacer Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 36.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,859 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 2,196 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in MSCI were worth $2,080,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in MSCI by 73.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,562 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $6,232,000 after acquiring an additional 4,901 shares during the last quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 143.5% in the 1st quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd now owns 27,344 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $14,739,000 after acquiring an additional 16,116 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,956,000. Wellington Grp LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 12.4% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Grp LLC now owns 1,647 shares of the technology company's stock worth $888,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verus Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSCI during the 1st quarter worth approximately $209,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSCI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MSCI in a research report on Friday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $760.00 target price on the stock. Evercore set a $722.00 price target on MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group set a $615.00 price objective on MSCI in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $690.00 price objective on MSCI in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on MSCI from $700.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $709.50.

MSCI Stock Down 0.9%

MSCI stock opened at $562.17 on Friday. MSCI Inc has a 52-week low of $501.08 and a 52-week high of $644.77. The firm has a market cap of $40.87 billion, a PE ratio of 30.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.23. The company's 50 day moving average is $592.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $575.78.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The technology company reported $4.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.99 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $867.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $870.71 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 55.19% and a net margin of 40.74%.The firm's revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.17 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. MSCI's dividend payout ratio is 44.86%.

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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