Short Interest in MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) Drops By 16.2%

MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,094,274 shares, a decrease of 16.2% from the February 26th total of 1,305,533 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 625,631 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Activity at MSCI

In related news, CFO Andrew C. Wiechmann sold 450 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,624,640. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Henry A. Fernandez bought 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $524.18 per share, with a total value of $3,145,080.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,493,047 shares in the company, valued at $782,625,376.46. This represents a 0.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 3.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MSCI

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aviso Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MSCI by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 859 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $487,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in MSCI by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 375 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in MSCI by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 568 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Keel Point LLC grew its holdings in MSCI by 3.0% in the third quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 622 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in MSCI by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,074 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group set a $638.00 target price on MSCI in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Raymond James Financial upgraded MSCI from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $710.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Bank of America initiated coverage on MSCI in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $700.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $715.00 price objective on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on MSCI from $618.00 to $545.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $665.89.

Key Headlines Impacting MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James named MSCI a top sector pick, citing strong sales momentum — a bullish analyst call that can support sentiment and investor demand. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: MSCI announced it will reclassify the MSCI Greece Indexes from Emerging to Developed Market status effective with the May 2027 review — an index-product event that underscores MSCI’s role in benchmark construction and can drive index licensing and data usage. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Syntax Data partnered with MSCI to add MSCI ADR indexes to the Syntax Direct platform, expanding distribution into the RIA/advisor channel — a commercial partnership that can help broaden index usage and revenues. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and index moves around Greece are being widely reported (Reuters, Economic Times), highlighting the company’s governance role; the reclassification is notable but its revenue impact will phase in over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some outlets note the Greece upgrade will have limited impact on India specifically — useful context but not material to MSCI’s core revenue drivers. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target on MSCI from $618 to $545 and assigned an “equal weight” rating — a downgrade that narrows implied upside and likely pressured the stock today. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: MSCI disclosed an upcoming change in chief accounting leadership (resignation of C. Jack Read), which could create short-term governance/transition uncertainty for investors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness (Asian stocks/MSC I Asia Pacific indexes slipping amid geopolitical tensions) is weighing on sentiment for index-linked names like MSCI. Read More.

MSCI Price Performance

NYSE:MSCI traded down $1.80 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $537.21. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 241,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 622,036. MSCI has a 1 year low of $486.73 and a 1 year high of $626.28. The stock has a market cap of $39.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.34, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.29. The business’s fifty day moving average is $557.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $562.85.

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

MSCI Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.80. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.26%.

About MSCI

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.