Two Sigma Securities LLC Grows Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Two Sigma Securities LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 427.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 26,909 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,811 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises approximately 0.5% of Two Sigma Securities LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Two Sigma Securities LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $5,625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Industry tailwinds support the outlook: Zacks identified Morgan Stanley among investment banks positioned to benefit from increased technology spending, active trading, and stronger underwriting and advisory activity. These trends could support revenue growth across wealth management and institutional securities. 3 Investment Bank Stocks Set to Benefit From Industry Tailwinds
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings momentum remains a fundamental support: Morgan Stanley’s latest quarterly results showed adjusted earnings per share of $3.46, well above the $2.89 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 27.1% year over year to $21.35 billion. However, these results were released earlier and do not represent a fresh trading catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investment-banking activity remains visible: Morgan Stanley was listed among institutional buyers in recent Indian transactions involving Purple Style Labs and Lenskart. These deals may generate advisory or underwriting revenue, but the announcements do not appear material enough to directly affect MS shares. Purple Style Raises Funds Ahead of IPO

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MS. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $243.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $224.75.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of MS opened at $214.69 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $145.65 and a 12-month high of $232.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $216.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $195.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $338.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The company had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were issued a $1.15 dividend. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 37.19%.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.