MSCI Inc $MSCI Holdings Lifted by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 112.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 147,525 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 78,099 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in MSCI were worth $79,517,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSCI by 7.6% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in MSCI by 39.0% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 6,585 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,724,000 after buying an additional 1,846 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in MSCI by 20.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $607,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 1.0% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 35,130 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $20,261,000 after buying an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of MSCI in the second quarter valued at $88,000. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSCI news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $592.04, for a total value of $5,920,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 23,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. This represents a 29.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.76% of the company’s stock.

MSCI Price Performance

NYSE:MSCI opened at $580.69 on Tuesday. MSCI Inc has a fifty-two week low of $501.08 and a fifty-two week high of $644.68. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $590.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $571.91. The stock has a market cap of $42.27 billion, a PE ratio of 33.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.38 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $850.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $830.91 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 65.48% and a net margin of 40.74%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.00 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MSCI. UBS Group raised their price objective on MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised MSCI from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $650.00 to $700.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $655.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $730.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut MSCI from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have given a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $697.00.

More MSCI News

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports say MSCI’s upcoming index review could drive about $3.2 billion in passive inflows into Indian equities, underscoring the importance of MSCI’s benchmarks and the potential demand for its index products. Article: MSCI August review may trigger USD 3.2 billion passive inflows into Indian equities: JM Financial
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that MSCI may place South Korea on a watchlist and that its broader review process could affect capital flows highlight how central MSCI is to global market access and allocation decisions, which can support investor interest in the company’s index franchise. Article: South Korea’s MSCI watchlist decision sparks hope and concern
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focus on MSCI’s recent ESG rating for SpaceX, including criticism that the score matched wartime Russia and that SpaceX’s stock fell after the lowest rating was assigned. This puts MSCI’s ESG framework back in the spotlight, but the direct financial impact on MSCI is unclear. Article: MSCI Gave SpaceX an ESG Score Matching Wartime Russia
• Neutral Sentiment: News about Indonesia awaiting MSCI’s verdict and possible capital outflows mainly reflects the market-moving power of MSCI’s index decisions, though it does not directly change MSCI’s operating results. Article: As public sentiment sours, Indonesia awaits MSCI verdict which risks $13 billion in capital outflows
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage criticizing MSCI’s ESG rating process for SpaceX could pressure sentiment around the company if investors view the methodology as controversial or inconsistent, even if the business impact is limited. Article: SpaceX draws MSCI’s lowest ESG rating, matching Russia after Ukraine invasion

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.