Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Acquired by Brentview Investment Management LLC

Key Points

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Brentview Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,166 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,012 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 2.4% of Brentview Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Brentview Investment Management LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $4,570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. May Hill Capital LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $277,000. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 23,856 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,999,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Bryce Point Capital LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $523,000. Finally, Cinctive Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $7,623,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 2.4%

MS stock traded down $3.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $139.09. The company had a trading volume of 6,678,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,401,069. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $128.33. The company has a market capitalization of $223.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.32. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $90.94 and a fifty-two week high of $145.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.33% and a net margin of 13.06%. The business had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 43,566 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.97, for a total value of $6,141,499.02. Following the transaction, the insider owned 294,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,480,422.50. This represents a 12.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.62, for a total value of $2,531,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 136,407 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,181,552.34. The trade was a 11.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price 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. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $138.25.

Morgan Stanley Profile

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.