Curi RMB Capital LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Curi RMB Capital LLC reduced its stake in Morgan Stanley by 27.5%, selling 49,533 shares to hold 130,800 shares valued at $15.26 million.
• Insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares at an average price of $141.13, decreasing his position by 6.77%, while insider Eric F. Grossman sold 12,000 shares, reflecting a 6.05% decrease in his stake.
• Morgan Stanley recently announced a $20 billion share buyback program as well as an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share, up from $0.93.

Curi RMB Capital LLC decreased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 27.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 130,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 49,533 shares during the quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $15,260,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 104.7% in the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded down $2.30 on Friday, reaching $148.23. 5,696,664 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,189,227. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.09 and a 1-year high of $151.86. The company has a market cap of $236.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $144.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $129.71.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The firm had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.30%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has approved a share 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 buy up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price target (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $138.25.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total value of $2,806,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 119,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. This represents a 14.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 firm's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,181,552.34. This represents a 11.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

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.