MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. 425,083 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 16% from the previous session’s volume of 505,533 shares.The stock last traded at $459.74 and had previously closed at $446.00.

The technology company reported $3.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.44 by $0.08. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 111.33% and a net margin of 44.55%. The firm had revenue of $680.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.47 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.14 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $638.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on MSCI from $615.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on MSCI from $615.00 to $526.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised MSCI from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $613.00 to $569.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, MSCI currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $562.87.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSCI

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSCI. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of MSCI in the 4th quarter worth $496,541,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in MSCI by 803.9% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 587,978 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $331,906,000 after acquiring an additional 522,926 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in MSCI by 59.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 762,080 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $391,008,000 after acquiring an additional 284,513 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lifted its holdings in MSCI by 3,600.0% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 253,636 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $143,469,000 after acquiring an additional 246,781 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in MSCI by 32.5% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 959,894 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $492,502,000 after acquiring an additional 235,290 shares in the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSCI Stock Down 0.0 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $543.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $538.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.06.

MSCI Company Profile

MSCI Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides critical decision support tools and solutions for the investment community to manage investment processes worldwide. The Index segment provides indexes for use in various areas of the investment process, including indexed financial product, such as ETFs, mutual funds, annuities, futures, options, structured products, and over-the-counter derivatives; performance benchmarking; portfolio construction and rebalancing; and asset allocation, as well as licenses GICS and GICS Direct.