# MSCI Inc. (MSCI) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NYSE, United States. Sector: Financial Services / Capital Markets. Price $573.01, market value $41.7 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 31.3×** (5-yr avg 44.9×, 3-yr avg 38.7×). MSCI Inc. trades at 31.3× trailing earnings, well below its own five-year average of 44.9×: cheap by its own standards. The Financial Services median in the September 2026 study was 13.1×. Forward P/E is 25.5×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **PEG: 2.18**. A PEG of 2.18 means the P/E is high relative to expected earnings growth; the price already assumes a lot.
- **Price / sales: 12.5×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 12.5×, a level that requires very high margins or very fast growth to justify.
- **EV / EBITDA: 25.2×**. Enterprise value is 25.2× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed; above 20× is demanding.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 3.8%** (5-yr avg 2.9%). Free cash flow equals 3.8% of the market value, above its five-year average of 2.9%, so the shares are cheaper on cash than they have usually been.
- **Earnings yield: 3.2%**. The inverse of the P/E: 3.2% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Operating margin: 55.7%**. 55.7% of revenue is left after running the business, an exceptional level.
- **Net margin: 38.4%**. 38.4% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: -45.3%**. Return on equity is negative because earnings are negative.
- **Return on invested capital: 48.3%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 48.3%: comfortably above what that capital costs.
- **Return on assets: 23.8%**. Each dollar of assets produces 23.8% of profit; low single digits are normal for banks and insurers.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 9.7%** (3-yr 11.7%/yr, 5-yr 13.1%/yr). Revenue grew 9.7% over the last year, against 13.1% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): 11.7%** (3-yr 13.5%/yr, 5-yr 17.1%/yr). Earnings per share rose 11.7%, roughly in step with revenue.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 12.7%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 12.7% a year over three years, keeping pace with earnings: the growth is real cash.

## Financial health
- **Piotroski F-score: 6/9**. 6 of 9 checks pass: mixed.
- **Cash and short-term investments: $515 million**. Leverage ratios are shown differently for banks and insurers, whose balance sheets are built on deposits and reserves; use return on equity and the regulatory capital in the filings instead.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 1.43%** ($7.70 per share, trailing). MSCI Inc. yields 1.43%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 46%** (36% of free cash flow). 46% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 12**. 12 straight years of increases, a record that survived at least one recession.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 19.8%/yr** (1-yr 12.5%). The dividend has compounded at 19.8% a year over five years, doubling roughly every 4 years at that pace.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: strong_buy** (17 analysts). 17 analysts cover MSCI Inc.; the consensus is strong_buy, with an average price target of $692.06 (+21% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 3.9%** (YTD 0.6%, 3-mo -6.9%). The shares are up 3.9% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -11.1%** (14.4% above the low). Trading 11% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 52**. An RSI of 52 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.34** (volatility 30%). Beta of 0.34 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=MSCI · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/msci

Not investment advice.