Graypoint LLC Raises Stock Position in MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI)

Graypoint LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) by 16.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,218 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing 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 have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSCI in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in MSCI in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI in the first quarter worth $34,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI during the second quarter worth $40,000. Finally, American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI in the third quarter valued at $58,000. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSCI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI began coverage on MSCI in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $690.00 target price for the company. Barclays raised their target price on shares of MSCI from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of MSCI from $640.00 to $662.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. 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 note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on MSCI from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $631.83.

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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $580.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $531.77. The stock has a market capitalization 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 quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The technology company reported $3.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $716.15 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that MSCI Inc. will post 14.95 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

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

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.