Securian Asset Management Inc. Has $1.17 Million Stock Position in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Securian Asset Management cut its MSCI stake by 46.3% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 2,043 shares valued at about $1.17 million.
• MSCI reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings of $4.55 per share 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 positive with an average Moderate Buy rating and a $692.70 target price.

Securian Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 46.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,043 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 1,758 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in MSCI were worth $1,172,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSCI by 7.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,003 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,133,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in MSCI by 39.0% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 6,585 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,724,000 after acquiring an additional 1,846 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in MSCI by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 1.0% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 35,130 shares of the technology company's stock worth $20,261,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of MSCI in the second quarter worth about $88,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSCI Price Performance

MSCI stock opened at $581.64 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.22, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.24. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $562.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $565.40. MSCI Inc has a fifty-two week low of $501.08 and a fifty-two week high of $626.28.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share 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 revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.00 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. MSCI's payout ratio is currently 46.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In other MSCI news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at $13,941,357.92. This represents a 29.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez purchased 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $524.18 per share, for a total transaction of $3,145,080.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,493,047 shares of the company's stock, valued at $782,625,376.46. This trade represents a 0.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 3.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSCI has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded MSCI from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $730.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Bank of America started coverage on MSCI in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $700.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $715.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $692.70.

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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