Intech Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 5.2%, now owning a total of 112,766 shares valued at approximately $13.16 million.
• Morgan Stanley has initiated a $20 billion share buyback plan, indicating confidence in the company's stock valuation as it aims to buy up to 8.9% of its outstanding shares.
• The company recently reported earnings per share of $2.13, exceeding analysts' estimates, with a revenue increase of 11.8% compared to the previous year.

Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 5.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 112,766 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 5,596 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $13,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 50.0% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:MS opened at $154.16 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.09 and a 52 week high of $154.53. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $144.82 and a 200 day moving average of $130.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $246.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.33.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted 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. 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 analysts' expectations of $16.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 18,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.62, for a total transaction of $2,531,160.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 136,407 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,181,552.34. This represents a 11.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628 in the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MS. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 price target (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $138.25.

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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