1,606 Shares in Morgan Stanley $MS Bought by Keudell Morrison Wealth Management

Key Points

• Keudell Morrison Wealth Management bought 1,606 shares of Morgan Stanley, worth approximately $226,000, increasing institutional ownership to 84.19% of the company's stock.
• Insider Eric F. Grossman and another executive sold a combined 41,000 shares recently, indicating some insider profit-taking amidst their declining ownership stakes.
• Analysts are optimistic, with price targets raised by firms like Royal Bank Of Canada and Wells Fargo, indicating positive sentiment around Morgan Stanley's stock.

Keudell Morrison Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,606 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 252 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.12, for a total value of $1,693,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 186,420 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,307,590.40. The trade was a 6.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total transaction of $4,092,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 399,105 shares in the company, valued at $56,325,688.65. This represents a 6.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $152.92.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $157.40 on Monday. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $163.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $150.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.63. The company has a market cap of $251.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.83, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $16.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 45.30%.

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.

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