Concord Asset Management LLC VA Has $2.74 Million Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Concord Asset Management LLC VA increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 105.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,432 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 12,560 shares during the quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,744,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 108.7% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 8,393 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 4,372 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 4,497 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 751 shares during the last quarter. Choate Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Choate Investment Advisors now owns 11,029 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,387,000 after acquiring an additional 1,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 126,809 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $15,942,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 2.2%

NYSE MS traded down $3.16 on Wednesday, hitting $138.43. 6,274,078 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,657,855. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $133.06 and a 200 day moving average of $126.92. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $90.94 and a twelve month high of $145.16. The company has a market capitalization of $222.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. Morgan Stanley's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on MS. 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 note on Tuesday, July 8th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $136.69.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total transaction of $95,456.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 96,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,545,403.20. This represents a 0.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $4,800,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 335,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at $40,291,800. This trade represents a 10.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.