Bank of New York Mellon Corp Buys 712,595 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 712,595 more shares and bringing its total holding to 9.37 million shares worth about $1.66 billion.
• Morgan Stanley reported a strong quarter, with EPS of $3.43 beating estimates and revenue of $20.58 billion also topping expectations. Revenue rose 16% year over year.
• The company declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend and continues to draw mixed Wall Street views, though analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $205.95.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,371,513 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 712,595 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.59% of Morgan Stanley worth $1,663,725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 85.0% in the fourth quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 12,041 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,138,000 after purchasing an additional 5,534 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $245,000. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,859 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 3,507 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,641 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,434 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $215.13 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $184.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $339.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $127.13 and a 12-month high of $217.03.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The business's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.60 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.23%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MS. CICC Research boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Wolfe Research dropped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $205.95.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Financial stocks are trading higher, giving Morgan Stanley a sector tailwind as investors rotate into banks and capital markets names.
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital led a $33 million growth financing for Subtle Medical, highlighting continued deal activity and exposure to AI-related healthcare investing. Business Wire: Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital Leads 33 Million Growth Financing For Subtle Medical
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings results were strong, with Morgan Stanley beating both EPS and revenue estimates, which has likely helped sustain investor confidence in the stock.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.

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