MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $654.7273.

MSCI has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on MSCI from $655.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on MSCI from $650.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Raymond James Financial upgraded MSCI from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $650.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on MSCI from $578.00 to $533.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 84 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $548.69 per share, for a total transaction of $46,089.96. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,279,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $702,296,314.19. This trade represents a 0.01% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 12,400 shares of company stock valued at $6,731,599. Corporate insiders own 3.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSCI

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in MSCI during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $133,000. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its holdings in MSCI by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 994 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $558,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in MSCI during the 2nd quarter worth $65,000. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in MSCI by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,422 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $820,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP lifted its holdings in MSCI by 279.4% during the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 12,823 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,396,000 after buying an additional 9,443 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MSCI Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE MSCI opened at $573.6240 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $563.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $560.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.99, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.29. MSCI has a 52-week low of $486.73 and a 52-week high of $642.45.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $4.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.12 by $0.05. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 143.13% and a net margin of 39.46%.The firm had revenue of $772.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $763.06 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that MSCI will post 16.86 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.80 per share. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. MSCI’s payout ratio is currently 47.68%.

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.