MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) Shares Sold by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc reduced its stake in MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,918 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 3,348 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned about 0.06% of MSCI worth $28,151,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased 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 worth $38,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in MSCI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in MSCI by 122.6% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 69 shares of the technology company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its position in MSCI by 122.7% in the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 98 shares of the technology company's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management purchased a new stake in MSCI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 5,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $574.51 per share, with a total value of $3,044,903.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 1,269,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $729,599,549.01. This trade represents a 0.42% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Cd Baer Pettit sold 5,000 shares of the business'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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 294,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $154,542,084.75. The trade was a 1.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $675.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America initiated 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. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of MSCI from $675.00 to $650.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Oppenheimer restated a "market perform" rating on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of MSCI from $680.00 to $650.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MSCI has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $645.36.

MSCI Stock Performance

Shares of MSCI traded up $2.41 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $566.28. The company had a trading volume of 445,153 shares, compared to its average volume of 525,301. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $548.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $579.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.33. MSCI Inc. has a 1 year low of $475.32 and a 1 year high of $642.45.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $4.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.88 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $745.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $746.45 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 156.08% and a net margin of 38.83%. Equities analysts predict that MSCI Inc. will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.80 dividend. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. MSCI's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.48%.

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.