MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $645.36.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MSCI shares. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of MSCI from $675.00 to $650.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of MSCI from $673.00 to $631.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Bank of America started coverage on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $585.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of MSCI from $680.00 to $650.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th.

MSCI Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MSCI traded up $11.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $576.90. 879,635 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 509,899. The company's 50-day moving average is $556.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $571.13. The company has a market capitalization of $44.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.65, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.33. MSCI has a 1 year low of $478.33 and a 1 year high of $642.45.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $4.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.88 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $745.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $746.45 million. MSCI had a net margin of 39.08% and a negative return on equity of 145.52%. Equities analysts anticipate that MSCI will post 16.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. MSCI's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSCI news, COO Cd Baer Pettit sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $524.25, for a total value of $2,621,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 294,787 shares in the company, valued at $154,542,084.75. This trade represents a 1.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 3.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSCI

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its stake in MSCI by 15.4% in the first quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 142 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in MSCI by 3.8% in the first quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC now owns 540 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in MSCI by 5.9% in the first quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 361 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MSCI by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 117 shares of the technology company's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSCI by 16.8% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 146 shares of the technology company's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSCI Company 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.