Hamlin Capital Management LLC Purchases 12,825 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.8%, acquiring an additional 12,825 shares, bringing its total to 1,528,105 shares, which now represents approximately 5.0% of its portfolio.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong earnings, with $2.80 earnings per share, surpassing estimates by $0.73, and an 18.5% increase in revenue year-over-year, totaling $18.22 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, payable on November 14th, with a current annualized dividend yield of 2.5% and a payout ratio of 41.03%.

Hamlin Capital Management LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,528,105 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 12,825 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises approximately 5.0% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Hamlin Capital Management LLC owned 0.10% of Morgan Stanley worth $215,249,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 117,769,345 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $13,740,149,000 after acquiring an additional 7,636,547 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at $767,506,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 21.2% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 17,056,916 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,990,030,000 after acquiring an additional 2,989,122 shares in the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $343,236,000. Finally, Axiom Investors LLC DE lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 99.9% in the first quarter. Axiom Investors LLC DE now owns 3,111,979 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $363,075,000 after acquiring an additional 1,555,015 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MS shares. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.54.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $158.70 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $153.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.98. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $166.77. The company has a market capitalization of $253.34 billion, a PE ratio of 16.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.32. 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, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.55% and a net margin of 13.85%.The firm had revenue of $18.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.88 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.03%.

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

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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