MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Upgraded by Wolfe Research to Outperform Rating

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wolfe Research from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on MSCI from $695.00 to $680.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on MSCI from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on MSCI from $640.00 to $662.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $638.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on MSCI from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $634.58.

MSCI Stock Performance

Shares of MSCI stock traded up $5.91 on Thursday, reaching $635.52. 219,460 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 535,080. The company's 50-day moving average is $598.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $552.75. The firm has a market cap of $49.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.10. 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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $724.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $716.15 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 162.06% and a net margin of 43.06%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.45 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MSCI will post 14.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 2,900 shares of MSCI stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $612.80 per share, with a total value of $1,777,120.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 330,379 shares in the company, valued at $202,456,251.20. The trade was a 0.89 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSCI

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MSCI. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in shares of MSCI by 14.5% during the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 155,188 shares of the technology company's stock worth $74,762,000 after acquiring an additional 19,660 shares in the last quarter. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 2nd quarter worth $2,012,000. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 2nd quarter worth $390,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MSCI by 274.1% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,212 shares of the technology company's stock worth $584,000 after acquiring an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 2nd quarter worth $1,715,000. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.