Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Makes New $94.28 Million Investment in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. initiated a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter, buying 530,531 shares valued at about $94.28 million.
• Morgan Stanley recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $3.43 EPS versus estimates of $3.02 and revenue of $20.58 billion, up 16% year over year.
• The company continues to draw supportive analyst coverage, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock holding a Moderate Buy consensus rating, though one research note recently downgraded it to hold.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 530,531 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $94,284,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1,855.6% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was highlighted in coverage of U.S. banks near record highs, with the firm benefiting from accelerating earnings and sales growth across the sector. Morgan Stanley Joins Elite List As Stock Hits Highs; Goldman Sachs Rides Massive Deals Wave
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst and valuation commentary has reinforced the bull case, with investors focusing on Morgan Stanley’s strong earnings revisions and upgraded outlook after a solid quarterly beat. A Look At Morgan Stanley (MS) Valuation As Analyst Upgrades And Earnings Revisions Lift Confidence
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Morgan Stanley from “strong-buy” to “hold,” which may cap some upside, but the market appears to be looking past that call for now. Zacks.com

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $207.74 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $327.67 billion, a PE ratio of 18.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $126.35 and a fifty-two week high of $208.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $183.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $177.39.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The company had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on MS shares. Dbs Bank upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $205.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% 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 Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company's chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firm's primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.

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