SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. Makes New $1.41 Million Investment in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• SBI Okasan Asset Management disclosed a new position in MSCI, buying 2,400 shares valued at about $1.41 million in the fourth quarter.
• MSCI reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.55 versus $4.38 expected and revenue of $850.8 million, up 14.1% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share, while analysts remain broadly bullish with a consensus Buy rating and average price target of $697.70.

SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. bought a new position in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,400 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,406,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in MSCI by 341.7% in the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MSCI during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of MSCI during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of MSCI during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MSCI during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

MSCI Price Performance

NYSE MSCI opened at $625.12 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.24. The company's fifty day moving average is $568.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $566.68. MSCI Inc has a 52-week low of $501.08 and a 52-week high of $627.01.

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

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. MSCI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In other news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $592.04, for a total transaction of $5,920,400.00. Following the sale, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $252,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 22,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,624,640. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 3.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MSCI shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of MSCI from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $650.00 to $700.00 in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and set a $715.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of MSCI in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of MSCI from $719.00 to $727.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $730.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MSCI presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $697.70.

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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