Graypoint LLC Boosts Stake in MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI)

Graypoint LLC grew its stake in shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,218 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the quarter. Graypoint LLC’s holdings in MSCI were worth $710,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its position in MSCI by 9.6% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 88,097 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $49,307,000 after acquiring an additional 7,718 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI in the second quarter valued at $91,748,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in MSCI by 52.4% in the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 3,779 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,203,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its position in MSCI by 313.9% during the first quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 30,456 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $17,069,000 after buying an additional 23,097 shares during the period. Finally, LBP AM SA acquired a new stake in MSCI in the 1st quarter worth about $778,000. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSCI Stock Performance

NYSE:MSCI opened at $575.66 on Friday. MSCI Inc. has a 1 year low of $439.95 and a 1 year high of $631.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $580.44 and a 200-day moving average of $531.77. The stock has a market cap of $45.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.11.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The technology company reported $3.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $724.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $716.15 million. MSCI had a net margin of 43.06% and a negative return on equity of 162.06%. MSCI’s quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.45 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that MSCI Inc. will post 14.95 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.60 per share. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $638.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of MSCI from $640.00 to $662.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Argus boosted their price objective on MSCI from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded 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. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on MSCI from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $631.83.

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.