Farther Finance Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 42.7% during Q2, bringing its total holdings to 17,002 shares worth approximately $2.4 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported earnings of $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, along with a revenue of $16.79 billion, a year-over-year increase of 11.8%.
• The company has authorized a $20 billion stock buyback program, allowing the repurchase of up to 8.9% of its outstanding shares, suggesting a belief that its stock is undervalued.

Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 42.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,002 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 5,090 shares during the quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,395,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at $30,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 50.0% in the first quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $159.68 on Monday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $94.33 and a 12 month high of $161.09. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $254.90 billion, a PE ratio of 18.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.33. The business's fifty day moving average price is $146.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.64.

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

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, July 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.30%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, 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 sale, the insider owned 399,105 shares in the company, valued at $56,325,688.65. This represents a 6.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 119,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,729,231.70. This trade represents a 14.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MS shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $139.92.

Morgan Stanley Company 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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