Stock fact sheet · data as of
MSCI Inc. (MSCI): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol MSCI · Financial Services · Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges · United States · Growth
Is MSCI undervalued?
At 674.30 (close of 5 Nov 2026), MSCI trades 73% over the GLS average fair value of 388.95, with 0 of 8 models above the price. The stock earns none of the Wheel Score's Value points at this price. That is a statement about price against trailing fundamentals, not about the company's prospects - the Wall Street View and the Growth tab on the Quote page carry the forward numbers.
The 8 models disagree widely: DDM gives 116.98 while Graham Growth gives 642.33. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, MSCI is clearly faster-growing than it is cheap, so the nightly engine files it under Growth (value score 13, growth score 58, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for MSCI
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 302.67 | -55% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | - | - | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share; no value tonight |
| Graham Growth | 642.33 | -5% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 246.90 | -63% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 459.14 | -32% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 499.46 | -26% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 630.93 | -6% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 116.98 | -83% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 213.23 | -68% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -92.33 | -114% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 687.70 | +2% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Financial health is average - MSCI passes 6 of the nine Piotroski tests, which passes the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. The Financials tab on the Quote page shows which tests fail. The GLS Moat score is 8.2 out of 10 - high returns on capital, steady margins and growth that held up through bad years point to a durable business.
Returns on capital are high - ROIC 32.6%, ROE -45.3%, ROA 21.1% - with debt at -2.39 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 3.1%.
The dividend yield is 1.18% with a payout ratio of 42% - a small yield that leaves most of the earnings in the business. Revenue comes mainly from Index 60%, Analytics 21%, E S G And Climate 11% (quarter Q3 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 5/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 6 / 9 | ROIC | 32.6% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 8.2 / 10 | ROE | -45.3% |
| Debt / equity | -2.39 | ROA | 21.1% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 3.1% | Payout ratio | 42% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 5 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 38: Weak
MSCI scores 38 out of 100 on the Wheel Score, in the Weak band (under 50): it fails filter 3, below fair value - trades 73% above our fair value, and the parts are thin too - value weak, premium fair, moat strong, health good, red flags strong, option trading fair, stability strong. The score is not a judgement on the company; it says the price, quality and premium do not line up for selling puts on it today.
Implied volatility is 28% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out: enough to pass the 25-80% Wheel Trade Filter, but under the 35-60% sweet spot the score rewards most. Chain open interest is 8,818 contracts across all expiries - enough for the wheel at normal size.
Volume runs at 1.0M shares a day on a market cap of $49.0B, with a beta of 1.20; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that strong.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 73% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 73% above fair value | |
| Premium | Fair | implied volatility 28% | |
| Moat | Strong | moat 8.2/10 | |
| Health | Good | Piotroski 6/9 | |
| Red Flags | Strong | Red Flags score 90/100 | |
| Option trading | Fair | 1,903 contracts a day, 8,818 open interest | |
| Stability | Strong | beta 1.20, $49.0B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 26 Jan 2027, 82 days away - outside the window of a 30-45-day put sold today. The shares go ex-dividend on 13 Nov 2026 (2.05 per share), so a covered call sold before then carries a small early-assignment risk around that date.
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
The 12 companies below are the closest to MSCI Inc. by market cap within the Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COIN Coinbase Global, Inc. | 151.50 | 148.21 | -2% | 33Weak | $40.1B |
| NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc. | 109.70 | 62.37 | -76% | 44Weak | $61.3B |
| CBOE Cboe Global Markets, Inc. | 345.21 | 234.08 | -47% | 45Weak | $36.0B |
| MCO Moody's Corporation | 528.34 | 363.95 | -45% | 41Weak | $91.1B |
| ICE Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. | 174.92 | 156.07 | -12% | 41Weak | $97.8B |
| CME CME Group Inc. | 308.27 | 224.77 | -37% | 40Weak | $110.3B |
| SPGI S&P Global Inc. | 481.69 | 308.18 | -56% | 45Weak | $139.6B |
| TRU TransUnion | 82.13 | 92.99 | +12% | 78Good | $15.7B |
| FDS FactSet Research Systems Inc. | 342.19 | 283.81 | -21% | 44Weak | $12.1B |
| MORN Morningstar, Inc. | 244.25 | 295.15 | +17% | 50Fair | $9.1B |
| OTCM OTC Markets Group Inc. | 52.45 | 47.22 | -11% | 25No options | $629M |
| VALU Value Line, Inc. | 44.40 | 25.42 | -75% | 22No options | $417M |
⚖ Compare MSCI with 7 of them All Financial Services stocks →
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about MSCI
Is MSCI undervalued right now?
No: at 674.30 the stock trades 73% above the GLS average fair value of 388.95 (data as of 5 Nov 2026), well beyond what trailing earnings, cash flow and book value support.
What is the Wheel Score of MSCI and what does it mean?
MSCI scores 38 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filter 3. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for MSCI?
388.95 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 8 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does MSCI Inc. report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 26 Jan 2027, 82 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does MSCI have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 256 listed contracts with 8,818 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 28% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.