Atria Investments Inc Has $11.99 Million Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Atria Investments Inc trimmed its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 2.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 102,745 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,550 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $11,987,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Alley Investment Management Company LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 75.0% during the first quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 62,469 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,288,000 after buying an additional 26,763 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 162,269 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $20,400,000 after purchasing an additional 42,743 shares during the period. Pamalican Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $4,513,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 112.0% in the fourth quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 39,921 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,019,000 after purchasing an additional 21,090 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Advisors Inc. OK lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.3% during the first quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 503,118 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $58,699,000 after buying an additional 11,332 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE MS traded up $0.50 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $143.00. 3,462,907 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,791,441. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $90.94 and a 52-week high of $145.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.42 billion, a PE ratio of 16.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.30. The business's fifty day moving average price is $135.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.74.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.33% 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 last year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.90%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total value of $4,092,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 399,105 shares in the company, valued at $56,325,688.65. The trade was a 6.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 18,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.62, for a total value of $2,531,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 136,407 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,181,552.34. This trade represents a 11.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 188,949 shares of company stock valued at $25,737,084. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.