MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Shares Sold by XTX Topco Ltd

Key Points

• XTX Topco Ltd has reduced its stake in MSCI Inc by 61.1% in the first quarter, ending the period with only 451 shares valued at $255,000.
• In contrast, GAMMA Investing LLC dramatically increased its holdings by 61,179.6%, acquiring over 504,000 additional shares worth approximately $285.9 million.
• MSCI declared a quarterly dividend of $1.80 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $7.20 with a yield of 1.3%.

XTX Topco Ltd lowered its stake in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 61.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 451 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 708 shares during the quarter. XTX Topco Ltd's holdings in MSCI were worth $255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MSCI. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in MSCI in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in MSCI in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in MSCI by 136.4% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 52 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its holdings in MSCI by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 66 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in MSCI by 293.8% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 63 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

MSCI Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:MSCI traded down $0.95 during trading on Thursday, hitting $566.48. 362,921 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 607,133. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $562.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $562.09. The company has a market cap of $43.82 billion, a PE ratio of 37.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.29. MSCI Inc has a 12-month low of $486.73 and a 12-month high of $642.45.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $4.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.12 by $0.05. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 143.13% and a net margin of 39.46%. The firm had revenue of $772.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $763.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.64 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.80 per share. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. MSCI's payout ratio is currently 47.68%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 9,916 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $544.70 per share, for a total transaction of $5,401,245.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,279,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $697,143,554.90. This trade represents a 0.78% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last three months, insiders purchased 12,400 shares of company stock worth $6,731,599. Insiders own 3.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSCI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James Financial raised MSCI from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $650.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, July 25th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on MSCI from $655.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $675.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on MSCI from $673.00 to $631.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on MSCI from $578.00 to $533.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $654.73.

MSCI Profile

MSCI Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides critical decision support tools and solutions for the investment community to manage investment processes worldwide. The Index segment provides indexes for use in various areas of the investment process, including indexed financial product, such as ETFs, mutual funds, annuities, futures, options, structured products, and over-the-counter derivatives; performance benchmarking; portfolio construction and rebalancing; and asset allocation, as well as licenses GICS and GICS Direct.