MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) Price Target Raised to $700.00

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI) had its price objective increased by Barclays from $650.00 to $700.00 in a report issued on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the technology company’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on MSCI from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Argus increased their price target on shares of MSCI from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of MSCI from $526.00 to $590.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of MSCI from $615.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of MSCI to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Seven investment 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, MSCI currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $591.00.

MSCI Stock Up 0.8 %

MSCI stock opened at $566.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.89 billion, a PE ratio of 38.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.11. MSCI has a 52 week low of $439.95 and a 52 week high of $617.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $544.16 and a 200 day moving average of $521.55.

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

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a $1.60 dividend. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. MSCI’s payout ratio is currently 43.69%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its position in MSCI by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 672 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in MSCI by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $603,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in MSCI by 20.8% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 3,838 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,171,000 after buying an additional 662 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. increased its stake in MSCI by 32.7% during the 4th quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 1,897 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,073,000 after buying an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American National Bank raised its holdings in shares of MSCI by 1,300.0% during the fourth quarter. American National Bank now owns 70 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 89.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.