MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) Shares Sold by American International Group Inc.

American International Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) by 0.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,444 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 203 shares during the quarter. American International Group Inc.’s holdings in MSCI were worth $12,579,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MSCI. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in MSCI during the fourth quarter worth approximately $496,541,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its position in MSCI by 803.9% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 587,978 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $331,906,000 after acquiring an additional 522,926 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 3,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 253,636 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $143,469,000 after purchasing an additional 246,781 shares during the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of MSCI in the 1st quarter valued at $114,836,000. Finally, Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,725,215 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $976,009,000 after purchasing an additional 151,108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

MSCI Trading Up 1.9 %

MSCI traded up $10.29 on Thursday, hitting $544.49. 294,445 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 589,650. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $494.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $524.47. MSCI Inc. has a twelve month low of $439.95 and a twelve month high of $617.39. The firm has a market cap of $43.14 billion, a PE ratio of 36.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.10.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The technology company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.55 by $0.09. MSCI had a net margin of 43.86% and a negative return on equity of 139.63%. The firm had revenue of $707.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $696.41 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.26 earnings per share. MSCI’s revenue was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that MSCI Inc. will post 14.68 EPS for the current year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.18%. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MSCI shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $638.00 price target on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of MSCI from $615.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of MSCI from $600.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of MSCI in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of MSCI from $526.00 to $590.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $589.79.

Insider Activity at MSCI

In related news, insider Scott A. Crum sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $471.69, for a total transaction of $4,245,210.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,831 shares in the company, valued at $6,052,254.39. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

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.