MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Research Coverage Started at Evercore ISI

Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $690.00 price objective on the technology company’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Argus increased their price target on shares of MSCI from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $638.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on MSCI from $615.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised MSCI to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on MSCI from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $598.07.

MSCI Stock Performance

NYSE:MSCI opened at $589.72 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $560.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $523.38. The stock has a market cap of $46.72 billion, a PE ratio of 40.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.11. MSCI has a one year low of $439.95 and a one year high of $617.39.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The technology company reported $3.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.55 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $707.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $696.41 million. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 143.09% and a net margin of 43.86%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.26 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that MSCI will post 14.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a dividend of $1.60 per share. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. MSCI’s payout ratio is currently 43.69%.

Institutional Trading of MSCI

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. increased its holdings in MSCI by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 4,134 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,410,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the period. Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of MSCI by 6.1% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 16,021 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $9,339,000 after buying an additional 925 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of MSCI during the third quarter worth approximately $58,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MSCI in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,845,000. Finally, Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. purchased a new position in MSCI in the second quarter worth approximately $2,012,000. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.