Tlwm Boosts Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Tlwm grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,863 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 0.3% of Tlwm’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Tlwm’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,617,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $1,640,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 7,969 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,002,000 after buying an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. WealthTrust Axiom LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $223,000. Finally, SageView Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,935 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $872,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 119,239 shares in the company, valued at $16,729,231.70. This represents a 14.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total transaction of $4,092,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 399,105 shares in the company, valued at $56,325,688.65. The trade was a 6.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE MS opened at $143.87 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $229.66 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.32. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $93.54 and a 52 week high of $145.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $138.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $128.44.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%. The firm had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MS shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.25.

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.