MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) Holdings Lowered by Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.

Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. trimmed its holdings in MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) by 25.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,232 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 10,551 shares during the period. MSCI comprises about 4.9% of Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.'s holdings in MSCI were worth $18,740,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. LRI Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 120.0% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 44 shares of the technology company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSCI in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSCI in the third quarter worth about $40,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of MSCI in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 35.1% in the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 77 shares of the technology company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSCI Stock Performance

MSCI opened at $542.79 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $42.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.19. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $587.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $589.86. MSCI Inc. has a one year low of $439.95 and a one year high of $642.45.

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MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $4.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.22. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 156.08% and a net margin of 38.83%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.68 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that MSCI Inc. will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $1.80 per share. This is a boost from MSCI's previous quarterly dividend of $1.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. MSCI's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MSCI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on MSCI from $700.00 to $680.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays reduced their target price on MSCI from $700.00 to $675.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised MSCI from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $617.00 to $723.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $675.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised MSCI from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $649.23.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez purchased 5,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $574.51 per share, for a total transaction of $3,044,903.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 1,269,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $729,599,549.01. This trade represents a 0.42 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 3.20% of the company's stock.

About MSCI

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.

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