MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Reaches New 12-Month High Following Earnings Beat

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

The technology company reported $4.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $822.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $819.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.18 EPS. MSCI’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis.

MSCI declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, October 28th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Key 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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSCI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised MSCI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of MSCI from $588.00 to $611.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $690.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of MSCI from $650.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of MSCI from $570.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $650.13.

Insider Activity at MSCI

In related news, General Counsel Robert J. Gutowski sold 624 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.42, for a total transaction of $348,454.08. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 15,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,904,006.90. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.00, for a total transaction of $247,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 21,639 shares in the company, valued at $11,901,450. This represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 3.31% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSCI

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in MSCI by 1.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,674,093 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,489,177,000 after acquiring an additional 165,851 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in MSCI by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,320,761 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,884,233,000 after purchasing an additional 39,450 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY lifted its holdings in MSCI by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,394,117 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,358,446,000 after buying an additional 223,784 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in MSCI by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,993,524 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,146,298,000 after buying an additional 34,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of MSCI by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,777,749 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,008,745,000 after acquiring an additional 109,287 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSCI Trading Up 6.4%

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

MSCI Company 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.