MSCI Inc. · MSCI · FY2024 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2024
MSCI: Strong growth, but ESG demand and cancellations remain watchpoints
The quarter supports a constructive long-term case for MSCI's diversified growth model, but the evidence is mixed in the near term: strong demand in indices, private assets and wealth technology is offset by cyclical ESG softness and client-budget pressure.
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensusMarket reaction
prior-close to event-session closeAsk FN2 about MSCI FY2024 Q3
Transcript, numbers and history already loadedFree account. Your question opens in FN2 with this report's transcript and numbers attached.
Transcript intelligence
What changed
The latest analysis adds evidence of strong growth from ETF flows, private-capital expansion and wealth-platform adoption, while highlighting persistent cancellations and longer sales cycles. Management also raised capex and free-cash-flow guidance and introduced further carbon-rating and private-assets initiatives.
Guidance delta
Capex and free-cash-flow guidance were raised, while expense guidance was unchanged.
Key takeaways
- Management linked growth to record ETF inflows, index-linked products, private-capital solutions and wealth-manager platform adoption.
- ESG and climate demand remained cyclical, while tighter client budgets contributed to higher cancellations and longer sales cycles.
- Private markets data, AI-enabled analytics and the wealth-manager platform remain central to the growth strategy.
- New offerings included Carbon Project Ratings and expanded private-assets tools.
Management priorities
- Deepen private-markets data and AI-driven analytics
- Scale carbon-project rating services
- Invest in additional data-center hardware for hybrid-cloud infrastructure
- Expand the wealth-manager platform across product lines
- Pursue further private-asset benchmarking and GP-focused tools
Follow MSCI with an agent that reads every filing, transcript, and price print. Free to start.
Try FN2 freeEarnings History
Analyst 52W Price Targets
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 18, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP Morgan | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Sep 29, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI Group | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jul 22, 2026 |
| Barclays | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jul 10, 2026 |
| B of A Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 10, 2026 |
| Raymond James | Strong Buy | Strong Buy | Maintain | Jul 8, 2026 |
| UBS | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Apr 22, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Apr 22, 2026 |
| Goldman Sachs | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Dec 18, 2024 |
| Wolfe Research | Outperform | Peer Perform | Upgrade | Dec 12, 2024 |
| Redburn Atlantic | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Oct 9, 2024 |
| Argus Research | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 26, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Apr 24, 2024 |
| Oppenheimer | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Apr 9, 2024 |
| Redburn Partners | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Sep 14, 2023 |
| Exane BNP Paribas | Underperform | Neutral | Downgrade | Jul 17, 2023 |
| BMO Capital | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jul 8, 2020 |
| Atlantic Equities | Overweight | Neutral | Upgrade | Feb 12, 2020 |
| Buckingham Research | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Oct 11, 2019 |
| Buckingham | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Oct 11, 2019 |
| Credit Suisse | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Nov 3, 2017 |
| Macquarie | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Feb 5, 2016 |
| Cantor Fitzgerald | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Nov 10, 2015 |
| Keefe, Bruyette & Woods | Market Perform | Underperform | Upgrade | Nov 2, 2015 |
| Keefe Bruyette & Woods | Market Perform | Underperform | Upgrade | Nov 2, 2015 |
| Janney Capital | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Dec 12, 2013 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $569.08. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evercore ISI | Analyst unavailable | $722 | $569.86 | +26.9% | Jul 22, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $690 | $561.74 | +21.2% | Jul 22, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $615 | $561.74 | +8.1% | Jul 22, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Toni Kaplan | $700 | $561.74 | +23.0% | Jul 21, 2026 |
| Barclays | Manav Patnaik | $735 | $603.35 | +29.2% | Jul 10, 2026 |
| Raymond James | Patrick O'Shaughnessy | $760 | $597.24 | +33.5% | Jul 8, 2026 |
| Redburn Partners | Analyst unavailable | $690 | $596.89 | +21.2% | Jun 18, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Jason Hass | $700 | $588.52 | +23.0% | May 27, 2026 |
| Raymond James | Patrick O'Shaughnessy | $730 | $589.17 | +28.3% | Apr 21, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $715 | $605.47 | +25.6% | Jan 29, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | David Motemaden | $690 | $607.3 | +21.2% | Jan 29, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Ashish Sabadra | $655 | $604.54 | +15.1% | Jan 29, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $618 | $614.87 | +8.6% | Jan 29, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $638 | $614.87 | +12.1% | Jan 28, 2026 |
| Raymond James | Patrick O'Shaughnessy | $690 | $586.47 | +21.2% | Jan 12, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $710 | $593.76 | +24.8% | Oct 29, 2025 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $601 | $593.76 | +5.6% | Oct 29, 2025 |
| Barclays | Manav Patnaik | $660 | $593.76 | +16.0% | Oct 29, 2025 |
| Seaport Global | Analyst unavailable | $650 | $567.41 | +14.2% | Oct 1, 2025 |
| Goldman Sachs | George Tong | $723 | $597.9 | +27.0% | Dec 18, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | George Tong | $617 | $578.93 | +8.4% | Oct 30, 2024 |
| Morgan Stanley | Toni Kaplan | $662 | $578.93 | +16.3% | Oct 29, 2024 |
| Barclays | Manav Patnaik | $700 | $559.75 | +23.0% | Sep 13, 2024 |
| Wells Fargo | Jason Haas | $570 | $532.41 | +0.2% | Aug 12, 2024 |
| Argus Research | John Eade | $600 | $544.6 | +5.4% | Jul 26, 2024 |
| UBS | Alex Kramm | $585 | $493 | +2.8% | Jul 9, 2024 |
| RBC Capital | Ashish Sabadra | $638 | $498.31 | +12.1% | Jun 6, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | George Tong | $526 | $503.83 | -7.6% | May 23, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Faiza Alwy | $569 | $468.5 | -0.0% | Apr 24, 2024 |
| J.P. Morgan | Analyst unavailable | $585 | $561.94 | +2.8% | Feb 2, 2023 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $543 | $538.02 | -4.6% | Feb 1, 2023 |
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $600 | $537.72 | +5.4% | Feb 1, 2023 |
| Oppenheimer | Analyst unavailable | $575 | $532.18 | +1.0% | Feb 1, 2023 |
| Raymond James | Analyst unavailable | $549 | $531.56 | -3.5% | Feb 1, 2023 |
| Raymond James | Patrick O'Shaughnessy | $539 | $505.24 | -5.3% | Jan 15, 2023 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $518 | $473.58 | -9.0% | Jan 4, 2023 |
| J.P. Morgan | Analyst unavailable | $580 | $522.87 | +1.9% | Dec 13, 2022 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $600 | $521.39 | +5.4% | Dec 2, 2022 |
| RBC Capital | Ashish Sabadra | $520 | $429.78 | -8.6% | Jun 28, 2022 |
| Barclays | Manav Patnaik | $470 | $416.71 | -17.4% | Jun 24, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $477 | $420.22 | -16.2% | Apr 27, 2022 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $570 | $422.42 | +0.2% | Apr 27, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $540 | $424.62 | -5.1% | Apr 27, 2022 |
Track every rating change on MSCI the moment it posts. Free to start.
Start freeCompany context
Snapshot as of publicationMSCI Inc., alongside its subsidiaries, offers sophisticated tools and services to support global investment decision-making and process management for its clients. The company is structured into four key segments: Index, Analytics, ESG and Climate, and Private Assets. The Index division furnishes benchmarks employed across diverse investment applications, including the creation of indexed financial products such as ETFs, mutual funds, and various derivatives; performance evaluation; portfolio building and adjustment; and strategic asset allocation. This segment also oversees the licensing of GICS and GICS Direct. Its Analytics segment provides comprehensive solutions for risk management, performance attribution, and portfolio oversight, encompassing content, applications, and services. These offerings deliver an integrated perspective on risk and return, alongside detailed analysis of market, credit, liquidity, and counterparty risks across all asset classes.…
Historical context
All MSCI earningsFinancial Services peers this season
Latest reports in the same sector| Company | Quarter | EPS surprise | Market move | Headline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTB-PH M&T Bank Corporation | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +2.2% | — | M&T Bank: Loan Growth Holds Up as Rates Pressure Margins |
| MTB-PJ M&T Bank Corporation | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +2.2% | — | M&T: Deposit growth supports margins as AI use expands |
| RF-PE Regions Financial Corporation | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +10.3% | — | Regions Financial: Fee Growth and Credit Quality Support Q3 |
| RF-PC Regions Financial Corporation | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +10.3% | — | Regions Financial: Fee growth supports a steady Q3 outlook |
| TFC-PI Truist Financial Corporation | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | -50.9% | — | Truist sharpens focus as Q3 EPS rises 12% |
| TRV The Travelers Companies, Inc. | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +24.2% | +1.5% | Travelers posts strong Q3, with investment income above $900 million |
Latest beats and misses
Who reports nextBeat on EPS
Get the MSCI recap when the next report posts
One email per quarter with the scorecard, the market reaction and what changed on the call. No account needed.
Sources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2024-11-10T18:38:36.707185+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-18T09:00:44.370305+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-18T09:00:44.367562+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-18. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.