Squarepoint Ops LLC Raises Position in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its MSCI stake by 484.2% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 148,812 shares worth approximately $83.3 million.
• Institutional investors own nearly 90% of MSCI, with several major firms—including BlackRock, Bamco, Norges Bank and Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management—recently adding positions.
• MSCI’s quarterly revenue rose 12.2% year over year to $867 million, though EPS slightly missed estimates. Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with an average price target of $709.50, while the company pays a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share.

Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 484.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 148,812 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 123,340 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned approximately 0.20% of MSCI worth $83,341,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in MSCI by 52,714.5% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 60,176,298 shares of the technology company's stock worth $33,701,134,000 after buying an additional 60,062,359 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in MSCI during the second quarter valued at $3,062,626,000. Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI in the second quarter valued at $1,798,710,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at $528,560,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of MSCI in the 2nd quarter worth about $480,613,000. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

MSCI Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSCI opened at $550.33 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $40.01 billion, a PE ratio of 30.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.22. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $579.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $575.32. MSCI Inc has a one year low of $501.08 and a one year high of $644.77.

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

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. MSCI's payout ratio is 44.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of MSCI from $715.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Evercore set a $722.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of MSCI from $700.00 to $742.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $690.00 target price on MSCI in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their target price on MSCI from $730.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSCI currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $709.50.

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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