Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Sells 24,027 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management SPA SGR sold 24,027 shares of Morgan Stanley, decreasing its stake by 17.0%, leaving it with 117,308 shares valued at approximately $16.5 million.
• Multiple analysts have recently set new price targets for Morgan Stanley, with ratings ranging from "Outperform" to "Neutral" and price objectives as high as $180.00.
• Insider trading activity included significant sales, with two insiders selling a combined total of 49,000 shares worth over $6.8 million in July.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR decreased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 17.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,308 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 24,027 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $16,524,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 58.5% in the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 252 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $154.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total value of $4,092,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 399,105 shares in the company, valued at $56,325,688.65. The trade was a 6.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 119,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. This represents a 14.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628 in the last ninety days. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $155.29 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The stock has a market cap of $247.90 billion, a PE ratio of 17.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.32. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $152.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $136.21. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $163.98.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.