MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) Receives $645.67 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $645.67.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of 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 research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Redburn Atlantic raised MSCI from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $680.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on MSCI from $662.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on MSCI from $695.00 to $680.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of MSCI from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th.

MSCI Stock Performance

Shares of MSCI traded up $4.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $601.48. The company had a trading volume of 243,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 317,027. The company has a market capitalization of $47.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.10. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $601.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $566.89. MSCI has a 1-year low of $439.95 and a 1-year high of $642.45.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The technology company reported $3.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.09. MSCI had a net margin of 43.06% and a negative return on equity of 162.06%. The company had revenue of $724.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $716.15 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.45 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that MSCI will post 14.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. MSCI's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSCI news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 2,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $612.80 per share, with a total value of $1,777,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 330,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $202,456,251.20. The trade was a 0.89 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSCI

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSCI. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 0.9% in the third quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,968 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp lifted its stake in MSCI by 35.1% during the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 77 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in MSCI by 35.1% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 77 shares of the technology company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of MSCI by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 732 shares of the technology company's stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of MSCI by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 44 shares of the technology company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% 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.