MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Sees Strong Trading Volume on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Posted by Defense World Staff on Apr 27th, 2023

MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI – Get Rating) saw strong trading volume on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. 595,335 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 36% from the previous session’s volume of 436,470 shares.The stock last traded at $460.17 and had previously closed at $471.15.

The technology company reported $3.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.23. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 93.24% and a net margin of 38.72%. The firm had revenue of $592.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $593.92 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 11th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MSCI. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on MSCI from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. StockNews.com assumed coverage on MSCI in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on MSCI from $585.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on MSCI from $560.00 to $522.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on MSCI from $543.00 to $551.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $567.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jennifer H. Mak sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $559.89, for a total transaction of $503,901.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares in the company, valued at $3,831,327.27. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 3.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSCI. Accurate Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in MSCI during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Elequin Securities LLC acquired a new position in MSCI during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. OLD Mission Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 88.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSCI Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $36.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.28 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $537.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $503.75.

About MSCI

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MSCI, Inc engages in the provision of investment decision support tools including indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics and corporate governance products and services. It operates through the following segments: Index, Analytics, ESG and Climate, and All Other-Private Assets. The Index segment focuses on the investment process, including developing indexed financial products.

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