MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) Stock Position Decreased by Empower Advisory Group LLC

Empower Advisory Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) by 0.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 18,872 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 163 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in MSCI were worth $11,001,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of MSCI by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,968 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,147,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Conning Inc. grew its position in shares of MSCI by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 479 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in shares of MSCI by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 542 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of MSCI by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 423 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its position in shares of MSCI by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 618 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

MSCI Price Performance

MSCI stock opened at $610.53 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $581.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $535.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.85 billion, a PE ratio of 40.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.11. MSCI Inc. has a 12-month low of $439.95 and a 12-month high of $631.70.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $724.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $716.15 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.45 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that MSCI Inc. will post 14.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on MSCI. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of MSCI from $526.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of 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. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $638.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of MSCI from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $690.00 target price for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently 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.