Fiduciary Alliance LLC Has $13.13 Million Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Fiduciary Alliance LLC reduced its Morgan Stanley stake by 19.1% in the first quarter, selling 18,818 shares and leaving it with 79,791 shares valued at about $13.13 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.43 beating estimates and revenue of $20.58 billion topping forecasts; revenue also rose 16% year over year.
• The company approved a $20 billion share repurchase program and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.15 per share, even as some investors remain concerned about liquidity issues in its North Haven private credit fund.

Fiduciary Alliance LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 19.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,791 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 18,818 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up about 0.8% of Fiduciary Alliance LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Fiduciary Alliance LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $13,131,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE MS opened at $220.14 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $347.22 billion, a PE ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $135.26 and a 12-month high of $230.47. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $201.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $183.99.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.23%.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its quarterly dividend to $1.15 per share from $1.00 and reauthorized a $20 billion multi-year share repurchase program, a shareholder-friendly capital return update. Morgan Stanley Announces a Dividend Increase of 15 Cents to $1.15 Per Share and the Reauthorization of a $20 Billion Multi-Year Common Equity Share Repurchase Program
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Morgan Stanley (MS) to $225 from $200, signaling continued analyst confidence even with an unchanged Equal Weight rating. Morgan Stanley target raised by Wells Fargo
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. received its 10th consecutive “Outstanding” Community Reinvestment Act rating from the OCC, a positive reputational update but likely not a major near-term stock driver. Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. Receives Outstanding Rating for Community Reinvestment Initiatives
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, Morgan Stanley lifted its call on private markets by launching new crypto ETF filings and keeping bullish sector views on names like Coca-Cola and others, but these are more commentary than direct MS earnings drivers. Morgan Stanley Launches 0.14% Ethereum And Solana ETFs With 95% Staking Rewards
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also focused on reports that Morgan Stanley capped withdrawals in its North Haven private credit fund after redemption requests reached about 11.6% of units, reigniting worries about liquidity and private-credit stress. Morgan Stanley caps Q2 withdrawals at North Haven private credit fund
• Negative Sentiment: A broader sector selloff in alternative asset managers and private-credit names is also weighing on sentiment, helping explain why MS is slipping despite the dividend and buyback news. Morgan Stanley (MS) Sees a More Significant Dip Than Broader Market: Some Facts to Know

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wolfe Research cut their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Citizens Jmp reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $208.90.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.