MSCI Inc $MSCI Shares Bought by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 15.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 206,083 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 27,647 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.27% of MSCI worth $118,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in MSCI by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 2,847 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,634,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in MSCI by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 375 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in MSCI by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 476 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. True North Advisors LLC lifted its position in MSCI by 39.0% in the fourth quarter. True North Advisors LLC now owns 698 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at about $382,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

MSCI Stock Performance

Shares of MSCI opened at $537.58 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.50 billion, a PE ratio of 34.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.30. MSCI Inc has a 1 year low of $501.08 and a 1 year high of $626.28. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $549.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $561.54.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by $0.04. MSCI had a net margin of 38.36% and a negative return on equity of 82.59%. The firm had revenue of $822.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $819.51 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.18 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MSCI Inc will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. MSCI’s payout ratio is currently 52.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $518.95 per share, for a total transaction of $415,160.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,493,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $775,231,900.65. This represents a 0.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $252,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 22,544 shares in the company, valued at $12,624,640. The trade was a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 3.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSCI has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $715.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group set a $638.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of MSCI from $618.00 to $545.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of MSCI from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $710.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $665.89.

About MSCI

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.