Lincluden Management Ltd. Sells 4,355 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Lincluden Management Ltd. reduced its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 11.9% in Q2, selling 4,355 shares and now owns a total of 32,386 shares valued at $4.56 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported earnings of $2.13 per share for the most recent quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates, with revenue of $16.79 billion, up 11.8% year-over-year.
• The company's Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan of $20 billion, allowing the buyback of up to 8.9% of its shares, indicating confidence in the company's valuation.

Lincluden Management Ltd. reduced its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 11.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,386 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,355 shares during the quarter. Lincluden Management Ltd.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $4,562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Abound Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS opened at $152.07 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $242.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.22, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.32. The company's 50 day moving average is $151.61 and its 200 day moving average is $135.68. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $163.98.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.06% and a return on equity of 15.20%. The firm's revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. 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 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 45.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 43,566 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.97, for a total transaction of $6,141,499.02. Following the transaction, the insider owned 294,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,480,422.50. The trade was a 12.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of Morgan Stanley 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 directly owned 399,105 shares in the company, valued at $56,325,688.65. This represents a 6.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $180.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.85.

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.

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