Exane Asset Management Buys Shares of 3,291 Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Exane Asset Management has acquired 3,291 shares of Morgan Stanley, valued at approximately $464,000, making it the 20th largest position in their investment portfolio.
• Insider transactions saw a significant sell-off, with individuals selling over 148,000 shares worth approximately $20.8 million in the last three months.
• Morgan Stanley has announced a $20 billion share buyback plan and increased its quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share, signaling confidence in its stock valuation and financial health.

Exane Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,291 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $464,000. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 0.2% of Exane Asset Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% in the second quarter. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC now owns 252,876 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $35,620,000 after purchasing an additional 6,102 shares during the period. City Holding Co. increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 4.1% in the second quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 39,945 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,627,000 after buying an additional 1,555 shares in the last quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,428 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $765,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the period. Grandview Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $212,000. Finally, Beacon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 49.2% in the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 273 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of Morgan Stanley 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 sale, the insider owned 119,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,729,231.70. The trade was a 14.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total value of $4,092,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 399,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,325,688.65. The trade was a 6.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628 in the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.7%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $160.13 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $255.62 billion, a PE ratio of 18.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $148.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.25. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $163.98. 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.06% and a return on equity of 15.20%. The company had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.82 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted 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. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. 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, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $142.00.

About Morgan Stanley

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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