Swedbank AB Sells 110,674 Shares of MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Swedbank AB sharply cut its MSCI stake in the first quarter, selling 110,674 shares and reducing its holdings by 91.1% to 10,817 shares worth about $5.83 million.
• MSCI reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $4.55 versus estimates of $4.38 and revenue of $850.8 million, up 14.1% from a year earlier.
• Analysts remain bullish on MSCI, with several firms raising price targets and the consensus rating staying at Buy with an average target price of $709.27.

Swedbank AB lowered its holdings in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 91.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,817 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 110,674 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB's holdings in MSCI were worth $5,830,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MSCI by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 375 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC increased its position in MSCI by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 568 shares of the technology company's stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC increased its position in MSCI by 3.0% during the third quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 622 shares of the technology company's stock worth $353,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in MSCI by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,074 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC raised its stake in MSCI by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 830 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSCI Stock Up 0.0%

MSCI stock traded up $0.08 on Friday, hitting $603.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 267,745 shares, compared to its average volume of 683,532. The firm has a market cap of $43.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $593.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $575.41. MSCI Inc has a one year low of $501.08 and a one year high of $644.68.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.38 by $0.17. MSCI had a net margin of 40.74% and a negative return on equity of 65.48%. The company 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 firm earned $4.00 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 19.74 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. MSCI's dividend payout ratio is 46.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on shares of MSCI from $730.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $655.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on MSCI from $715.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have assigned a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $709.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MSCI news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at $13,941,357.92. This trade represents a 29.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 3.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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