MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) Shares Sold by Fernwood Investment Management LLC

Fernwood Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,211 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 52 shares during the period. MSCI comprises about 1.9% of Fernwood Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Fernwood Investment Management LLC’s holdings in MSCI were worth $5,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Conning Inc. raised its stake in shares of MSCI by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 479 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its position in shares of MSCI by 3.8% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 542 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in MSCI by 5.0% in the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 423 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its holdings in shares of MSCI by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 618 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSCI Price Performance

MSCI stock traded up $6.75 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $577.95. The stock had a trading volume of 369,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 418,939. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $580.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $530.20. MSCI Inc. has a twelve month low of $439.95 and a twelve month high of $631.70. The firm has a market cap of $45.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.95, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.11.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The technology company reported $3.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $724.70 million during 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%. MSCI’s revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MSCI Inc. will post 14.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is 42.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on MSCI. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of MSCI from $695.00 to $680.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Argus upped their price target on shares of MSCI from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on MSCI from $640.00 to $662.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their price target on shares of MSCI from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSCI presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $631.83.

MSCI 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.