MSCI Receives Boosted Price Target of $601 by Oppenheimer

Investors and market watchers alike took note as Oppenheimer, a prominent financial institution, upgraded its price target on MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) from the previous $572.00 to a new objective of $601.00. The upgrade was disclosed in a report made public on Monday, according to industry news sources, and it reaffirms Oppenheimer's positive 'outperform' rating on the technology company's shares.

Analyst Consensus on MSCI

MSCI, a company specializing in investment decision support tools, has been a subject of various analytical reports. Royal Bank of Canada has maintained their 'outperform' rating and a price target of $570.00. Morgan Stanley upgraded MSCI from 'equal weight' to 'overweight', adjusting their price target up to $600.00 from a prior $526.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. revised their price target down slightly from $610.00 to $600.00 but kept an 'overweight' rating. Additionally, new coverage was started by Argus and Edward Jones, both setting 'buy' ratings with targets of $580.00 and undisclosed, respectively. With certain analysts offering sell and hold ratings, the company's overall consensus stands at 'Hold' with an average target price of $568.29, as compiled by MarketBeat.

The Current State of MSCI Shares

On the trading front, MSCI shares commenced the trading session at $543.15, situated below the revised target. The firm boasts a significant market capitalization of approximately $42.96 billion, sustains a price to earnings ratio of 45.26, and exhibits a PEG ratio of 2.66 with a beta of 1.12. The 52-week spectrum has seen MSCI shares touch lows of $451.55 and peak at $573.32, with current averages standing at a fifty-day moving average of $527.87 and a two-hundred-day moving average of $519.92.

Financial Highlights and Dividend News

As for financial performance, MSCI most recently reported earnings per share (EPS) of $3.45 for the quarter, which exceeded the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.13. Quarterly revenue reached $625.40 million, aligning closely with analysts' predictions. MSCI showcased a net margin of 39.76% and a striking negative return on equity of 97.86%. Year-over-year quarterly revenue has increased by 11.6%, and the EPS during the same quarter the previous year was $2.85. Experts are forecasting that MSCI will register an EPS of 13.15 for the current financial year.

An announcement of a quarterly dividend payout was also made, amounting to $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. The dividend was payable to shareholders recorded as of November 9th, with the ex-dividend date being November 8th. The company's dividend payout ratio stands at 46.00%.

Institutional Movements

Reflecting recent activities of institutional investors and hedge funds, there have been a mixture of increases and decreases in their stakes in MSCI. Notable changes include adjustments in holdings by Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc., KB Financial Partners LLC, Balentine LLC, and Penserra Capital Management LLC, with the majority raising their positions in the company's shares. Currently, such institutional investors and hedge funds own about 88.61% of MSCI's stock.

Company Insights

MSCI Inc. is noted for offering critical investment decision support tools across the globe. With multiple segments such as Index, Analytics, ESG and Climate, and All Other Private Assets, the company facilitates indexed product creation, performance benchmarking, and other crucial functions of the investment process. Furthermore, MSCI is the licenser of GICS and GICS Direct, integral classifiers of global industries.

MSCI, PriceTarget, Oppenheimer