Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 8,141 Shares of MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank increased its stake in MSCI by 19.6%, buying 8,141 shares to own 49,752 shares worth about $28.54 million (0.07% of the company).
• MSCI beat Q1 expectations with adjusted EPS of $4.55 (vs. $4.38) and revenue of $850.8M (up 14.1%), and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.05 (annualized $8.20, yield 1.4%, ex-dividend May 15).
• CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 6,000 shares and insiders own 3.76% while institutional investors hold 89.97%; analysts have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $668.11.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 19.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 49,752 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,141 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.07% of MSCI worth $28,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSCI. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 499.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 874,882 shares of the technology company's stock worth $496,417,000 after purchasing an additional 728,900 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 91.8% during the 3rd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 691,554 shares of the technology company's stock worth $392,395,000 after purchasing an additional 331,040 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,069,180 shares of the technology company's stock worth $606,674,000 after purchasing an additional 282,859 shares during the period. Banque Pictet & Cie SA increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 103.3% during the 4th quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 523,035 shares of the technology company's stock worth $300,081,000 after purchasing an additional 265,750 shares during the period. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,394,117 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,358,446,000 after purchasing an additional 223,784 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at MSCI

In other MSCI news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,493,047 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $782,625,376.46. This represents a 0.40% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $252,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 22,544 shares in the company, valued at $12,624,640. This represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 3.76% of the company's stock.

MSCI Price Performance

MSCI opened at $597.03 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $43.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $549.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $561.64. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.38 by $0.17. MSCI had a net margin of 38.36% and a negative return on equity of 82.59%. The business had revenue of $850.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $830.91 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.00 earnings per share. MSCI's revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that MSCI Inc will post 19.39 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. MSCI's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.26%.

Key Headlines Impacting MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat and margin expansion — MSCI reported adjusted EPS of $4.55 and revenue of $850.8M (y/y +14%), with operating and adjusted EBITDA margins improving; the results and commentary on recurring fees/index momentum are the core driver of the rally. Business Wire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns reinforced — company declared a $2.05 quarterly dividend (record May 15, pay May 29) and continues repurchases, which supports near‑term demand for the stock and signals management confidence. Quiver Quant: Capital Returns & Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish commentary on growth/retention — recent analyst and equity‑research pieces highlight record sales, high client retention and the “compounder” profile, which supports a longer‑term growth thesis for investors focused on recurring revenue. Seeking Alpha: Record Sales / Buy Thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: External review keeps risk profile largely unchanged but adds a Regulation risk line — an external review referenced the 2025 10‑K and left the overall risk profile intact while adding a regulatory disclosure; this is disclosure‑heavy but not an immediate operational change. TipRanks: External Review / Risk Disclosure
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst targets and insider activity mixed — recent analyst price targets skew above today’s levels (median ~$685) and insider buying has been notable, supporting sentiment, but institutional portfolio moves have been varied; useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Quiver Quant: Analyst Targets & Insider Activity
• Negative Sentiment: Indonesia review extended and curbs maintained — MSCI has delayed or extended its review of Indonesian market reforms and is keeping index treatment/curbs in place, which can delay index inclusions and related passive inflows for affected names and creates some regional index uncertainty. Reuters: Indonesia Review Extended

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MSCI. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of MSCI from $618.00 to $545.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $715.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore increased their price target on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $730.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSCI has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $668.11.

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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