MSCI is set to acquire commercial real estate data provider Real Capital Analytics for $950 million.
The New York-based index publisher and stock market analytics firm announced the acquisition Monday.
Through the deal, MSCI will gain access to Real Capital Analytics’ database of more than $20 trillion in commercial property transactions, which MSCI plans to add to its own commercial real estate products.
Since its founding in 2000, Real Capital Analytics has built out its services by aggregating transaction data, as well as providing information related to market pricing, capital flows and investment trends.
“Investors will be better supported to access the opportunities that exist within this sector at scale, informed by industry-leading insights and the premier global database capturing the global commercial real estate footprint,” MSCI CEO Henry Fernandez said in a release.
Subject to regulatory approval, the acquisition is expected to close later this year, according to MSCI, which says it isn’t taking on debt to make the purchase, but funding it entirely with cash on hand. In its second-quarter earnings report last week, MSCI reported a 22 percent year-over-year increase in operating revenue and a 20 percent jump in operating income.
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Software and information firms in the commercial real estate sector have emerged as attractive acquisition targets in recent months, with companies looking to consolidate businesses and bring in proprietary information.
At the end of 2020, private equity firm Thoma Bravo purchased RealPage for $9.6 billion, acquiring a company that collected information on leases to compile forecasts, including market reports. Earlier this year, private equity firms Stone Point Capital and Insight Partners won a $6 billion bidding war for CoreLogic.