LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2018 / If you want access to our free earnings report on MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI), all you need to do is sign up now by clicking the following link www.active-investors.com/registration-sg/?symbol=MSCI. MSCI reported its first quarter fiscal 2018 operating and financial results on May 03, 2018. The maker of software tools which help portfolio managers make investment decisions outperformed top- and bottom-line expectations. Register today and get access to over 1,000 Free Research Reports by joining our site below:

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Active-Investors.com is focused on giving you timely information and the inside line on companies that matter to you. This morning, MSCI most recent news is on our radar and our team decided to put out a fantastic report on the company that is now available for free below:

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Earnings Highlights and Summary

MSCI's operating revenues increased 16.6% to $351.3 million for Q1 2018 compared to $301.2 million for Q1 2017, driven by a 48.6% increase in asset-based fees. The Company's reported numbers topped analysts' estimates of $350.6 million.

MSCI's total run rate at March 31, 2018, grew by 16.2% to $1.40 billion on a y-o-y basis. The increase was driven by 10.8% increase in subscription Run Rate to $1.07 billion, and a 38.0% increase in asset-based fees Run Rate to $332.2 million.

During Q1 2018, total operating expenses increased 8.0%, to $184.2 million, driven by an 8.7% increase in compensation and benefits expenses as well as a 11.3% increase in non-compensation expenses.

MSCI's net income increased to $115.1 million or $1.24 per diluted share, in Q1 2018 compared to $73.0 million, or $0.80 per diluted share, in Q1 2017. The Company's earnings surpassed Wall Street's estimates of $1.28 per share.

For Q1 2018, MSCI's adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) surged 23.8% to $186.7 million. The Company's adjusted EBITDA margin in the reported quarter was 53.1%, compared to 50.1% in the prior year's corresponding quarter.

MSCI's Segment Results

During Q1 2018, MSCI's Index segment operating revenues jumped 23.5% to $201.9 million compared to $163.4 million for Q1 2017, primarily driven by a 48.6%, growth in asset-based fees, and an 10.8%, increase in recurring subscriptions.

Index Run Rate at March 31, 2018, grew by 20.6% to $794.3 million on a y-o-y basis, driven by 38.0%, increase in asset-based fees Run Rate, primarily driven by higher Asset Under Management (AUM) in ETFs as well as increases in non-ETF passive funds and futures and options contracts, and a $44.3 million, or 10.6%, increase in recurring subscriptions Run Rate.

For Q1 2018, the Analytics segment's operating revenues grew 5.8%, to $119.0 million compared to $112.4 million for Q1 2017, primarily driven by growth in both Equity and Multi-Asset Class Analytics products.

The adjusted EBITDA margin for Analytics was 28.2% for Q1 2018 compared to 26.3% for Q1 2017. Analytics Run Rate at March 31, 2018, grew by 8.2% to $494.8 million, primarily driven by growth in both Multi-Asset Class and Equity Analytics products.

Cash Matters

MSCI's total cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2018, was $849.8 million. The Company's total outstanding debt as of March 31, 2018, was $2.10 billion. MSCI's total debt to operating income ratio was 3.4x and total debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio was 3.0x.

For Q1 2018, MSCI's net cash provided by operating activities was $88.6 million compared to $37.0 million in Q1 2017. The Company's CapEx for the reported quarter was $5.9 million compared to $9.6 million in the prior year's same quarter. MSCI's free cash flow was $82.7 million in Q1 2018 compared to $27.4 million in Q1 2017.

In Q1 2018 and through May 2, 2018, MSCI repurchased 1.4 million shares at an average price of $145.27 per share for a total value of $210.0 million. On May 01, 2018, the Company's Board authorized an additional $1.0 billion repurchase of shares of MSCI's common stock, which will be aggregated with the $523.1 million of authorization remaining under the previously existing share repurchase program.

As of March 31, 2018, there were 3,059 employees, up 5.6% from 2,897 as of March 31, 2017. The 5.6% y-o-y increase in employees was primarily driven by increased headcount in emerging market centers and in areas related to data and content services, technology, and research.

Outlook

For the full year 2018, MSCI is forecasting total operating expenses to be in the range of $725 million to $750 million. The Company's CapEx is expected to be in the range of $40 million to $50 million and net cash provided by operating activities and free cash flow is expected to be in the band of $490 million to $540 million and $440 million to $500 million, respectively.

Stock Performance Snapshot

June 05, 2018 - At Tuesday's closing bell, MSCI's stock marginally rose 0.14%, ending the trading session at $163.71.

Volume traded for the day: 562.03 thousand shares.

Stock performance in the last month ? up 7.61%; previous three-month period ? up 9.88%; past twelve-month period ? up 56.53%; and year-to-date ? up 29.37%

After yesterday's close, MSCI's market cap was at $14.50 billion.

Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio was at 39.82.

The stock has a dividend yield of 0.93%.

The stock is part of the Technology sector, categorized under the Processing Systems & Products industry. This sector was up 0.4% at the end of the session.

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