Morgan Stanley $MS Stake Lifted by Wealthfront Advisers LLC

Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 8.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 176,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,713 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $29,075,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Equities trading and investment banking both came in strong, helping drive the earnings beat and record profit.
• Positive Sentiment: Wealth management and investment management also posted solid growth, reinforcing the quality of the quarter and the durability of the franchise.
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its quarterly dividend by 15%, which signals management confidence in future cash generation.
• Positive Sentiment: Client assets topped $10 trillion, a sign that Morgan Stanley’s wealth platform continues to scale.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market sentiment is also helping financial stocks, with cooler inflation data supporting hopes for a friendlier rate backdrop.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts have reiterated constructive views on MS and peers after strong banking-sector earnings.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 169,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:MS opened at $228.52 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $360.44 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $135.26 and a fifty-two week high of $232.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $210.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.27.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The business had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 36.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on MS. Dbs Bank increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.20.

Morgan Stanley Profile

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company’s chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firm’s primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.