MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $645.36.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $675.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of MSCI from $532.00 to $530.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $585.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price 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.

Insider Activity at MSCI

In related news, COO Cd Baer Pettit sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $552.59, for a total value of $2,762,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 289,787 shares in the company, valued at $160,133,398.33. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSCI

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in MSCI in the first quarter valued at $42,865,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSCI by 1.4% during the first quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 10,434 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $5,901,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSCI by 102.6% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 81,582 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $46,122,000 after purchasing an additional 41,309 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in shares of MSCI by 10.1% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 24,728 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $13,984,000 after purchasing an additional 2,277 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSCI by 4.6% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 499,001 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $282,185,000 after purchasing an additional 21,967 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of the company's stock.

MSCI Price Performance

NYSE:MSCI traded down $3.19 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $563.72. The stock had a trading volume of 348,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 509,186. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $550.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $577.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.62 billion, a PE ratio of 40.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.33. MSCI has a 12 month low of $475.32 and a 12 month high of $642.45.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $4.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.88 by $0.12. MSCI had a net margin of 38.83% and a negative return on equity of 156.08%. The business had revenue of $745.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $746.45 million. Equities analysts expect that MSCI will post 16.86 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. MSCI's dividend payout ratio is 49.48%.

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.