Strategic Planning Group LLC Acquires New Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Strategic Planning Group LLC has acquired 54,032 shares of Morgan Stanley, representing approximately $7.6 million and making it the firm's 25th largest holding.
• In a recent filing, insiders like CFO Sharon Yeshaya and Andrew M. Saperstein sold a combined 69,149 shares of Morgan Stanley stock, which reflects significant decreases in their ownership positions.
• Morgan Stanley recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share and has authorized a stock buyback program of up to $20 billion, signaling confidence in its stock valuation.

Strategic Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 54,032 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $7,611,000. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 1.2% of Strategic Planning Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McLean Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the second quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,007 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 1.5% during the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 5,022 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Congress Park Capital LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Congress Park Capital LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 3,140 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.7% in the second quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 12,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.12, for a total transaction of $1,693,440.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 186,420 shares in the company, valued at $26,307,590.40. This trade represents a 6.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 119,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. The trade was a 14.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628 in the last 90 days. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MS traded up $0.83 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $160.74. 4,421,040 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,030,504. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $147.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $256.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.20, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $161.09.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $139.92.

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.