Offshore

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⁠Dimitry Nakhla | Babylon Capital®
Dev Kantesaria | VFCM 13F Q4 24’

$FICO $SPGI $MA $MCO $V $INTU $ASML $EFX $MSCI
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The CRAZY thing:

I pitched $MSCI to Dev on April 23, 2024 when it traded for $444 (many of you may remember that analysis) 🌐

Would’ve been great to see Dev pick it up at historic levels then https://t.co/V2CUhqcxI6

A sober valuation analysis on $MSCI 🧘🏽‍♂️

•NTM P/E Ratio: 29.33x
•10-Year Mean: 34.93x

•NTM FCF Yield: 3.64%
•10-Year Mean: 3.37%

As you can see, $MSCI appears to be trading below fair value

Going forward, investors can receive ~19% MORE in earnings per share & ~9% MORE in FCF per share 🧠***

Before we get into valuation, let’s take a look at why $MSCI is a good business

BALANCE SHEET🆗
•Cash & Short-Term Inv: $519.31M
•Long-Term Debt: $4.50B

$MSCI has an ok balance sheet, a BBB- S&P Credit Rating, & 6.80x FFO Interest Coverate

RETURN ON CAPITAL✅
•2019: 23.4%
•2020: 28.6%
•2021: 26.5%
•2022: 33.0%
•2023: 35.2%

RETURN ON EQUITY🆗
•2019: (463.5%)
•2020: (231.5%)
•2021: (239.3%)
•2022: (148.6%)
•2023: (131.4%)

*ROE negative due to heavy use of debt

$MSCI has strong return metrics, highlighting the financial efficiency of the business

REVENUES✅
•2013: $913.36M
•2023: $2,528.92M
•CAGR: 10.72%

FREE CASH FLOW✅
•2013: $280.93M
•2023: $1,213.27M
•CAGR: 15.75%

NORMALIZED EPS✅
•2013: $2.16
•2023: $13.52
•CAGR: 20.13%

SHARE BUYBACKS✅
•2013 Shares Outstanding: 121.07M
•LTM Shares Outstanding: 79.60M

By reducing its shares outstanding 34.2%, $MSCI increased its EPS by 51.9% (assuming 0 growth)

MARGINS✅
•LTM Gross Margins: 82.2%
•LTM Operating Margins: 53.9%
•LTM Net Income Margins: 44.6%

***NOW TO VALUATION 🧠

As stated above, investors can expect to receive ~19% MORE in EPS & ~9% MORE in FCF per share

Using Benjamin Graham’s 2G rule of thumb, $MSCI has to grow earnings at an 14.67% CAGR over the next several years to justify its valuation

Today, analysts anticipate 2024 - 2026 EPS growth over the next few years to be less than the (14.67%) required growth rate:

2024E: $14.84 (9.8% YoY) *FY Dec
2025E: $17.07 (15.0% YoY)
2026E: $19.39 (13.6% YoY)

$MSCI has a great track record of meeting analyst estimates ~2 years out, but let’s assume $MSCI ends 2026 with $19.39 in EPS & see its CAGR potential assuming different multiples

32x P/E: $620.48💵 … ~14.6% CAGR

31x P/E: $601.09💵 … ~13.2% CAGR

30x P/E: $581.70💵 … ~11.9% CAGR

29x P/E: $562.31💵 … ~10.5% CAGR

28x P/E: $542.92💵 … ~9.1% CAGR

As you can see, $MSCI appears to have double-digit return potential if we assume >29x earnings, a level of fundamental support (first green line in P/E chart) & a level below its 10-year average multiple of 34.93x

Given its wide moat, exemplary capital allocation, & linearity in its EPS & FCF, I believe 29x is fair for $MSCI & leaves us with some margin of safety

Today at $446💵 my research leads me to believe that $MSCI is a worthwhile consideration for investment

Knowing that $MSCI could trade down a bit more (closer to 25x as you’ll see in second green line in P/E chart) I would piece into the position

In other words, if I wanted to allocate 5% to $MSCI, I’d likely look to initiate a 3% - 3.5% allocation & leave room to add more & make it 5% if we see $MSCI trade between $380💵 - $400💵

#stocks #investing
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