Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Purchases 2,510 Shares of MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Rockefeller Capital Management increased its MSCI stake by 54.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 2,510 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 7,100 shares worth about $4.07 million.
• Several other large institutional investors also boosted or initiated positions in MSCI, and the company remains heavily owned by institutions at 89.97%.
• MSCI announced a $120 million cash acquisition of climate-risk data provider First Street, a move intended to expand its climate-risk analytics, though investors have reacted cautiously about the near-term payoff.

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 54.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,100 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,510 shares during the quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in MSCI were worth $4,074,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter worth $528,560,000. Bamco Inc. NY grew its position in MSCI by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,755,747 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,581,055,000 after purchasing an additional 361,630 shares in the last quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA increased its stake in MSCI by 103.3% in the 4th quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 523,035 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $300,081,000 after buying an additional 265,750 shares during the last quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new stake in MSCI in the 4th quarter valued at $130,380,000. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in MSCI by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,446,291 shares of the technology company's stock worth $829,781,000 after buying an additional 168,405 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSCI News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MSCI said it will acquire climate-risk data and analytics provider First Street for $120 million in cash, expanding its physical climate-risk capabilities and adding property-level and geospatial data tools that could strengthen its long-term product offering. MSCI to acquire climate risk data company First Street
• Neutral Sentiment: MSCI also drew attention for its role in ongoing index classification debates, with new coverage focused on South Korea’s market status and why MSCI still considers it an emerging market. These articles are more about MSCI’s benchmark methodology and may support the company’s visibility, but they are not a direct earnings driver. South Korea Has the World’s Hottest Stock Market: Why Does MSCI Still Call It ‘Emerging’?
• Negative Sentiment: Shares fell as investors weighed whether the First Street deal will deliver enough near-term return on investment, especially amid broader weakness in growth and market-data names. The move came despite MSCI’s recent quarter showing solid revenue and run-rate growth, suggesting the decline is more sentiment- and valuation-driven than tied to a fundamental miss. MSCI slides as investors weigh new acquisition against broader growth-stock pressure

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $592.04, for a total transaction of $5,920,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. The trade was a 29.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 3.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut MSCI from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. UBS Group upped their target price on MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised MSCI from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $650.00 to $700.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $690.00 price target on MSCI in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and set a $730.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have issued a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $697.00.

MSCI Price Performance

MSCI stock opened at $556.63 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average is $591.79 and its 200-day moving average is $572.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.52 billion, a PE ratio of 31.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.24. MSCI Inc has a fifty-two week low of $501.08 and a fifty-two week high of $644.68.

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

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. MSCI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.83%.

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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