Hamlin Capital Management LLC Has $176.79 Million Stock Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Key Points

• Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.7%, holding approximately $176.79 million worth of shares, making it the firm's 12th largest investment.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong earnings with a Q2 EPS of $2.13, exceeding estimates, and a revenue increase of 11.8% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase of $1.00 per share, up from $0.93, representing a 2.7% yield.

Hamlin Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,515,280 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 24,610 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for 4.2% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Hamlin Capital Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Morgan Stanley worth $176,788,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 34.3% in the first quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,869 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,785,000 after buying an additional 6,092 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at about $57,000. AGF Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 55.9% during the 1st quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 327,978 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $38,265,000 after purchasing an additional 117,615 shares during the last quarter. Tlwm increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Tlwm now owns 13,863 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,617,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alley Investment Management Company LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 75.0% in the first quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 62,469 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,288,000 after purchasing an additional 26,763 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of MS opened at $147.83 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.09 and a 1-year high of $149.08. 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 firm's 50-day moving average price is $139.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $128.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $235.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.74, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.32.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 45.30%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $138.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 119,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. This trade represents 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 accessible through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.12, for a total value of $1,693,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 186,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,307,590.40. This represents a 6.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628 over the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report).

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.