MSCI Inc to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $2.05 (NYSE:MSCI)

Key Points

• MSCI declared a quarterly dividend of $2.05 per share (record date May 15, payable May 29), implying an $8.20 annualized payout and a ~1.4% yield; the company has raised its dividend for 11 consecutive years and had a ~43.5% payout ratio, with analysts expecting a lower ~37.2% payout next year, indicating earnings coverage.
• MSCI beat Q1 estimates with $4.55 EPS vs. $4.38 expected and revenue of $850.8M (up 14.1% YoY), prompting a ~5.3% intraday share jump to $597 on heavy volume; analysts carry a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target of $668.11 and highs up to $730.

MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of 2.05 per share by the technology company on Friday, May 29th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th.

MSCI has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.2%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 11 consecutive years. MSCI has a dividend payout ratio of 43.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect MSCI to earn $22.03 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $8.20 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 37.2%.

MSCI Trading Up 5.3%

Shares of NYSE:MSCI traded up $30.08 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $597.03. 1,418,309 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 443,453. The stock has a market cap of $43.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.05, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.30. MSCI has a twelve month low of $501.08 and a twelve month high of $626.28. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $547.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $561.39.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.38 by $0.17. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 82.59% and a net margin of 38.36%.The business had revenue of $850.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $830.91 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.00 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that MSCI will post 19.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSCI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $730.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research note on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $715.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $655.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of MSCI in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $700.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group set a $638.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSCI presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $668.11.

MSCI Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.