Planned Solutions Inc. Makes New Investment in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. NBW Capital LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 4.2% during the second quarter. NBW Capital LLC now owns 3,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. M&R Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,020 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5.0% in the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 2,692 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Platte River Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.4% in the third quarter. Platte River Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,995 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corton Capital Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Corton Capital Inc. now owns 6,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $541,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $87.00 target price (down previously from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $91.00 target price (down previously from $102.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $109.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $94.45.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.93, for a total transaction of $4,396,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 400,000 shares in the company, valued at $35,172,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Morgan Stanley news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.30, for a total transaction of $8,730,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 350,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,555,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 50,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.93, for a total value of $4,396,500.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 400,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,172,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 208,155 shares of company stock worth $18,149,314 over the last 90 days. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $93.50 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $87.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.90 billion, a PE ratio of 18.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $69.42 and a twelve month high of $95.57.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.06. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.49% and a return on equity of 10.36%. The firm had revenue of $12.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 31st were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 65.76%.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments.