ING Groep NV Invests $2.31 Million in MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI)

ING Groep NV bought a new position in MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,964 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,311,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MSCI. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSCI in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in MSCI in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MSCI in the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in MSCI in the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in MSCI during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

MSCI Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE MSCI opened at $593.86 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $583.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $537.35. MSCI Inc. has a 12 month low of $439.95 and a 12 month high of $631.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.54 billion, a PE ratio of 38.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.11.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The technology company reported $3.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $724.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $716.15 million. MSCI had a net margin of 43.06% and a negative return on equity of 162.06%. MSCI’s revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MSCI Inc. will post 14.98 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of MSCI from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $680.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of MSCI from $526.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on MSCI from $695.00 to $680.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI began coverage on MSCI in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $690.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $638.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $631.83.

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.