Swedbank AB Sells 16,160 Shares of MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Swedbank AB reduced its stake in MSCI by 11.7%, selling 16,160 shares and ending the quarter with 121,491 shares worth about $69.7 million (≈0.16% of the company) per its Q4 13F filing.
• Insider moves: CEO Henry A. Fernandez purchased 800 shares at roughly $518.95, while insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares at an average of $592.04, a 29.8% reduction in his holding.
• MSCI announced a quarterly dividend of $2.05 (annualized $8.20), implying a ~1.4% yield

Swedbank AB decreased its position in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 11.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 121,491 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 16,160 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned approximately 0.16% of MSCI worth $69,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MSCI. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 6.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,777,749 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,008,745,000 after acquiring an additional 109,287 shares in the last quarter. Katamaran Capital LLP grew its stake in MSCI by 57.1% in the third quarter. Katamaran Capital LLP now owns 4,919 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,791,000 after purchasing an additional 1,788 shares in the last quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. increased its holdings in MSCI by 103.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. now owns 14,958 shares of the technology company's stock worth $8,490,000 after purchasing an additional 7,613 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in MSCI by 37.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 12,228 shares of the technology company's stock worth $6,938,000 after purchasing an additional 3,346 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in MSCI by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 36,996 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $20,992,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at MSCI

In other MSCI news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez purchased 800 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $518.95 per share, with a total value of $415,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,493,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $775,231,900.65. This trade represents a 0.05% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSCI has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $655.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on MSCI in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $700.00 price objective for the company. Evercore increased their target price on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $715.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $692.70.

MSCI Price Performance

Shares of MSCI stock opened at $581.45 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $560.30 and its 200 day moving average is $564.07. MSCI Inc has a 1-year low of $501.08 and a 1-year high of $626.28. The company has a market cap of $42.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.21, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $850.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $830.91 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.00 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

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

MSCI 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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