MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Hits New 1-Year High Following Strong Earnings

MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $619.24 and last traded at $615.26, with a volume of 552538 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $581.75.

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 40.03% and a negative return on equity of 110.94%. The firm had revenue of $822.53 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $819.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.18 EPS. MSCI’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

MSCI announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, October 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to repurchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

More MSCI News

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fourth-quarter results beat consensus: EPS and revenue topped estimates, with revenue up ~10.6% year-over-year — a direct driver of investor confidence. Business Wire: MSCI Reports Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Subscription-led growth and high client retention (reported ~93%) underline recurring revenue strength and low churn, supporting the stock’s upside despite expense pressure. Benzinga: MSCI Shows Sticky Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Demand for index products helped lift quarterly profit, reinforcing MSCI’s franchise in benchmarks and analytics — a structural revenue engine for the company. MSN: MSCI profit rises on index demand
• Neutral Sentiment: MSCI launched a consultation on potentially reclassifying Greece from emerging to developed market status — a routine index governance process that can affect index composition and future index licensing activity but is not an immediate revenue swing. Financial Post: MSCI to Consult on Greece Reclassification
• Negative Sentiment: Management flagged higher full‑year expenses and issued soft 2026 guidance, which offsets some of the Q4 beat and explains caution among investors despite strong underlying demand. MarketWatch: MSCI 4Q Net Down as Expenses Rise
• Negative Sentiment: MSCI’s decision to flag investability/free‑float issues and freeze a rebalancing for Indonesian stocks triggered sharp local market declines and prompted the Indonesian government to review MSCI’s request — a near‑term political/regulatory risk that could create pushback against index actions. Reuters: Indonesian government to evaluate MSCI request

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MSCI shares. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of MSCI from $588.00 to $611.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Seaport Research Partners raised MSCI to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on MSCI from $570.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $690.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of MSCI from $650.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSCI has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $650.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In other MSCI news, General Counsel Robert J. Gutowski sold 624 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.42, for a total transaction of $348,454.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 15,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,904,006.90. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.00, for a total transaction of $247,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,639 shares in the company, valued at $11,901,450. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MSCI

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MSCI. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 7.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,003 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in MSCI by 39.0% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 6,585 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,724,000 after buying an additional 1,846 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in MSCI by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $607,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MSCI by 14.6% during the 2nd quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 675 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 16.9% during the 2nd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 513 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

MSCI Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $570.24 and its 200-day moving average is $565.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.89, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.30.

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.