MSCI Inc $MSCI Shares Sold by Polen Capital Management LLC

Polen Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 16.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,331,085 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 252,854 shares during the period. MSCI accounts for about 3.3% of Polen Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Polen Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MSCI were worth $763,684,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MSCI. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in MSCI by 341.7% in the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 53 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in MSCI in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MSCI in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in MSCI in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in MSCI in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSCI Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE MSCI opened at $595.06 on Friday. MSCI Inc has a 52-week low of $501.08 and a 52-week high of $644.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $583.70 and a 200-day moving average of $570.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.32 billion, a PE ratio of 33.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.38 by $0.17. MSCI had a net margin of 40.74% and a negative return on equity of 65.48%. The company had revenue of $850.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $830.91 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.00 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In related news, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $252,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,624,640. This represents a 1.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $592.04, for a total transaction of $5,920,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 23,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. This trade represents a 29.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on MSCI shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on MSCI from $719.00 to $727.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded MSCI from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $650.00 to $700.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $655.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $730.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSCI presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $697.70.

MSCI 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.