Corient Private Wealth LP lowered its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 9.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,528,373 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 157,621 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LP owned 0.10% of Morgan Stanley worth $319,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% during the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 55.7% in the second quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.
Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.2%
NYSE MS opened at $212.73 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $151.84 and a 12 month high of $232.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $216.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $198.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The company has a market capitalization of $335.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.21.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.The company's revenue was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.8 EPS for the current year.
Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.
Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 37.19%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several brokerages have weighed in on MS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $224.75.
View Our Latest Report on Morgan Stanley
More Morgan Stanley News
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley remains viewed favorably by some analysts and commentators because of its strong investment-banking and wealth-management businesses, recent earnings momentum, and valuation that is still described as attractive relative to other large financial institutions. 4 Thriving Investment Bank Behemoths to Buy With Attractive Valuation
- Positive Sentiment: The firm is partnering with OpenAI to develop ChatGPT-based financial-services tools for Wall Street. The initiative could strengthen Morgan Stanley’s technology position and create longer-term efficiency or client-service benefits, although near-term financial effects remain unclear. OpenAI courts Wall Street with ChatGPT for financial services, developed with Morgan Stanley
- Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s latest reported quarter showed strong operating momentum: earnings per share of $3.46 exceeded expectations, revenue reached $21.35 billion, and revenue increased 27.1% year over year. Those results provide fundamental support, but they are not a new catalyst in the current session.
- Negative Sentiment: Market-wide risk aversion is weighing on financial stocks. Morgan Stanley strategists have identified higher oil prices and interest rates as key risks to equities, while rising yields can pressure valuations and reduce investor appetite for economically sensitive stocks. Brent Tops $100 as Morgan Stanley Warns Oil, Rates Are Main Risks to Stocks
- Negative Sentiment: After gaining more than 20% over the past six months, Morgan Stanley may be vulnerable to profit-taking. The latest commentary specifically noted that the stock’s decline was more pronounced than the broader market, suggesting investors are locking in gains or reassessing its valuation rather than responding to a major deterioration in fundamentals. Morgan Stanley Sees a More Significant Dip Than Broader Market
Morgan Stanley Profile
(
Free Report)
Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. The company serves corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and institutional investors through a range of advisory, capital-raising, trading and investment-related activities.
Morgan Stanley's Institutional Securities business offers investment banking services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, underwriting and capital markets services.
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