Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Acquires 1,296 Shares of MSCI Inc $MSCI

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 9,097 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,296 shares during the quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in MSCI were worth $5,162,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in MSCI in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $547,348,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of MSCI by 499.3% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 874,882 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $496,417,000 after buying an additional 728,900 shares during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its position in shares of MSCI by 91.8% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 691,554 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $392,395,000 after acquiring an additional 331,040 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of MSCI by 36.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,069,180 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $606,674,000 after acquiring an additional 282,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Pictet & Cie SA bought a new position in MSCI during the third quarter worth $145,986,000. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

MSCI Price Performance

MSCI opened at $552.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $40.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $566.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $564.43. MSCI Inc has a fifty-two week low of $486.73 and a fifty-two week high of $626.28.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by $0.04. MSCI had a net margin of 38.36% and a negative return on equity of 82.59%. The company had revenue of $822.53 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $819.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.18 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that MSCI Inc will post 16.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This is a positive change from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is 52.26%.

Key Stories Impacting MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James upgraded MSCI to a “Strong‑Buy” with a materially higher target, which can lift demand from retail and institutional investors and support short‑term upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: MSCI’s recent results and payout actions reinforce cash generation: the company beat Q4 estimates on EPS and revenue and recently raised its quarterly dividend (annualized $8.20), improving income investor appeal and signaling confidence in free cash flow. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate customers continue to reference MSCI benchmarks in marketing and rankings (e.g., Cushman & Wakefield), underscoring ongoing demand for MSCI’s index and data services that drive recurring license revenue. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: MSCI research on geopolitical index exposures (e.g., commentary about Iran‑related risks) raises awareness of index composition risks; this increases media attention but doesn’t directly change MSCI’s revenue model. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several fund commentaries and letters (e.g., Longleaf, Columbia, Goldman Sachs fund notes) reference MSCI benchmarks; routine visibility in manager reports confirms the firm’s central role but is unlikely by itself to move fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: MSCI CFO Andrew Wiechmann sold 450 shares (~$560 avg) on Mar 17, reducing his holding by ~1.96%. While small in scale relative to his remaining stake, insider selling can create short‑term negative sentiment for some investors. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Henry A. Fernandez acquired 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $518.95 per share, with a total value of $415,160.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,493,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $775,231,900.65. This trade represents a 0.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $252,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 22,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,624,640. This represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on MSCI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $655.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore raised their price target on shares of MSCI from $655.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of MSCI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of MSCI from $590.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $674.00.

MSCI Company Profile

MSCI Inc is a global provider of investment decision support tools and services for the financial industry. The company is best known for its family of market indexes, which are widely used as benchmarks by asset managers and as the basis for exchange-traded funds and other passive products. In addition to index construction and licensing, MSCI offers portfolio analytics, risk models, factor and performance attribution tools, and a suite of data and technology solutions designed to support portfolio management and trading.

Beyond traditional indexing and risk analytics, MSCI has expanded into environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and ratings, offering data, scores and screening tools that help investors integrate sustainability considerations into investment processes.