Douglas Lane & Associates LLC Reduces Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Douglas Lane & Associates LLC lessened its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 7.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 676,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 54,594 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 1.6% of Douglas Lane & Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $127,287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. LifeGoal Investments LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth $2,782,000. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 350,982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,013,000 after buying an additional 5,800 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 5.1% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 41,646 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,833,000 after purchasing an additional 2,016 shares during the period. Hamilton Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.3% in the third quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 6,415 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,207,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Davis Capital Management grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 31.6% during the third quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MS traded up $2.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $189.60. The company had a trading volume of 1,587,133 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,142,871. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $299.05 billion, a PE ratio of 15.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $207.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $202.85. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $151.84 and a twelve month high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st were given a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.19%.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Options activity was notably bullish, with traders purchasing 26,930 MS call options, approximately 63% above average call volume. This suggests increased near-term speculative interest in the stock. Morgan Stanley options activity
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer backed Morgan Stanley following its pullback, pointing to the company’s buyback authorization and describing the decline as an opportunity. The commentary may be supporting sentiment among retail investors. Jim Cramer backs Morgan Stanley
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s proposal to convert eight Eaton Vance municipal-bond mutual funds, totaling nearly $10 billion, into ETFs could improve product competitiveness, provide potential tax and trading advantages for shareholders, and strengthen the firm’s asset-management platform. Shareholder approval is required. Morgan Stanley municipal funds ETF conversions
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are focused on projections for Morgan Stanley’s September-quarter revenue, earnings, and key operating metrics. The report could clarify whether strong investment-banking and wealth-management trends continued, but the article does not provide a definitive earnings preview or estimate revision. Morgan Stanley Q3 earnings metric projections
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group downgraded Morgan Stanley from Buy to Hold, while TD Cowen initiated coverage with a Hold rating and a $210 price target. Although TD Cowen’s target implies upside, the Hold ratings signal limited conviction and may restrain gains. Morgan Stanley analyst rating changes

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MS shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $219.43.

About Morgan Stanley

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.