AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Sells 72,126 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc reduced its Morgan Stanley stake by 10.1% in the first quarter, selling 72,126 shares and leaving it with 644,731 shares worth about $105.3 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong Q1 results, with EPS of $3.43 beating estimates and revenue of $20.58 billion exceeding expectations, while revenue rose 16% year over year.
• The company also maintained its shareholder returns with a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share and currently has a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy with a price target of $206.35.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc trimmed its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 10.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 644,731 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 72,126 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for 1.4% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $105,339,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE MS opened at $223.69 on Friday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $199.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $182.78. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $130.90 and a twelve month high of $230.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The company has a market capitalization of $352.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.26, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. CICC Research raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.35.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s investment management arm, together with Ridgeback Group, agreed to acquire Metra Living, a UK private rental business, for about £1.045 billion. The deal expands MS into residential rental assets and highlights its ability to deploy capital into new fee-generating businesses. Morgan Stanley Buys Into UK Rentals With £1.045b Metra Living Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also reacting to Morgan Stanley’s strong recent operating results: the firm posted Q1 EPS of $3.43, topping estimates, and revenue of $20.58 billion, also ahead of expectations, with year-over-year revenue growth of 16%. That supports the view that fundamentals remain solid after the stock’s big run. Morgan Stanley stock performance and earnings background
• Positive Sentiment: News that Morgan Stanley is part of the bank group working on possible OpenAI and Anthropic IPOs adds another potential catalyst, since high-profile tech listings could boost advisory and capital markets fees if they move forward. OpenAI, Anthropic IPOs Spark Battle Between Goldman And Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces also frame MS as a long-term momentum name and note that the stock has been trading near its highs, which may be attracting trend-following buyers rather than pointing to a single new catalyst. Why Morgan Stanley is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762 in the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company's chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firm's primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.