Morgan Stanley $MS Stock Position Increased by Venture Visionary Partners LLC

Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 86,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,254 shares during the quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $16,312,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth $8,854,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 201.0% during the 1st quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,559 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,890,000 after acquiring an additional 11,726 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.9% in the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 294,047 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $61,468,000 after purchasing an additional 28,877 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 279,622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,452,000 after purchasing an additional 30,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 9,171,655 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,628,244,000 after purchasing an additional 83,472 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $189.67. 5,047,328 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,168,952. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $151.84 and a 1 year high of $232.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The business has a 50-day moving average of $208.40 and a 200-day moving average of $202.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $299.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.31%. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 12.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized 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 reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st were issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 37.19%.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer endorsed Morgan Stanley after its recent pullback, pointing to the company’s buyback authorization and arguing that the decline has been excessive relative to the firm’s underlying prospects. Jim Cramer Backs Morgan Stanley After Its Pullback
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley received a role as a joint lead manager for the United Kingdom’s planned digitally native government bond, potentially creating fees and strategic opportunities in digital-asset and securities-market infrastructure. UK Names Banks to Lead Digital Government Bond
• Neutral Sentiment: The firm proposed converting eight Eaton Vance municipal-bond mutual funds, with nearly $10 billion in assets, into ETFs. The move could improve product competitiveness and distribution, but shareholder approval is still required. Morgan Stanley Plans Eaton Vance Fund Conversions
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to rate Morgan Stanley favorably overall, with coverage summarized as “Moderate Buy” and an average price target near $219.90. However, the consensus includes a meaningful number of hold ratings, limiting the strength of the signal. Morgan Stanley Receives Moderate Buy Rating
• Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets reduced its Morgan Stanley price target from $250 to $215 while retaining an “Outperform” rating. The lower target signals more restrained expectations and may be weighing on sentiment despite the implied upside. BMO Cuts Morgan Stanley Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Ahead of the next earnings report, Zacks said Morgan Stanley lacks the combination of factors typically associated with a likely earnings beat. That caution, combined with uncertainty around near-term trading and investment-banking results, is adding pressure after the recent pullback. Morgan Stanley Earnings Expectations

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MS. Jefferies Financial Group raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $223.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $260.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $219.90.

Morgan Stanley Profile

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm serving corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and other investors. The company provides investment banking and advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, equity and debt underwriting, securities sales and trading, and corporate lending.

Through its Wealth Management business, Morgan Stanley offers financial planning, brokerage, investment advisory and banking services to individual investors, businesses and institutions.