California State Teachers Retirement System Sells 1,621 Shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI)

California State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its position in shares of MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI – Get Rating) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 132,056 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,621 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in MSCI were worth $55,700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. RB Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MSCI by 16.5% during the first quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 1,276 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $642,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Markel Corp grew its stake in shares of MSCI by 3.4% in the first quarter. Markel Corp now owns 141,700 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $71,258,000 after acquiring an additional 4,700 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in shares of MSCI by 42.2% during the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,237 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its position in MSCI by 6.0% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,831 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $921,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in MSCI in the first quarter worth approximately $701,000. 88.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jennifer H. Mak sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $559.89, for a total value of $503,901.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,831,327.27. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSCI has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of MSCI in a research note on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on MSCI from $580.00 to $585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on MSCI from $518.00 to $543.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of MSCI from $510.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Finally, Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of MSCI from $539.00 to $549.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $558.10.

MSCI Price Performance

MSCI opened at $546.57 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $528.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $485.14. The firm has a market cap of $43.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.99 and a beta of 1.13. MSCI Inc. has a 1-year low of $376.41 and a 1-year high of $572.50.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 31st. The technology company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.13. MSCI had a net margin of 38.72% and a negative return on equity of 93.24%. The company had revenue of $576.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $568.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.51 EPS. MSCI’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc. will post 12.8 earnings per share for the current year.

MSCI Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 16th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. This is a boost from MSCI’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.49%.

MSCI Company Profile

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MSCI, Inc engages in the provision of investment decision support tools including indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics and corporate governance products and services. It operates through the following segments: Index, Analytics, ESG and Climate, and All Other-Private Assets. The Index segment focuses on the investment process, including developing indexed financial products.