CW Advisors LLC Purchases 2,155 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• CW Advisors LLC has increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 7.9%, acquiring an additional 2,155 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total to 29,516 shares, valued at approximately $3,455,000.
• Analysts have varying ratings for Morgan Stanley, with the stock receiving a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $138.25, influenced by increased price objectives set by multiple research firms.
• Morgan Stanley has announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.00, up from $0.93, representing an annual yield of 2.7%, alongside a $20 billion share repurchase plan indicating potential undervaluation of the stock.

CW Advisors LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,516 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,155 shares during the period. CW Advisors LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,455,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 34.3% in the first quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,869 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,785,000 after purchasing an additional 6,092 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at approximately $57,000. AGF Management Ltd. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 55.9% in the first quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 327,978 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $38,265,000 after purchasing an additional 117,615 shares in the last quarter. Tlwm increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.8% during the first quarter. Tlwm now owns 13,863 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,617,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alley Investment Management Company LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 75.0% during the first quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 62,469 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,288,000 after acquiring an additional 26,763 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 2.7%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $147.9340 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $236.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.32. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.09 and a 1-year high of $149.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $128.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30.

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

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a $1.00 dividend. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 45.30%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total value of $2,806,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 119,239 shares in the company, valued at $16,729,231.70. This trade represents a 14.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.62, for a total transaction of $2,531,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company 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.

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