Lyell Wealth Management LP Grows Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Key Points

• Lyell Wealth Management LP raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 7.3%, acquiring an additional 7,071 shares, bringing its total holdings to 103,371 shares worth approximately $12.06 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported earnings of $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing expectations and showing an 11.8% year-over-year revenue growth to $16.79 billion.
• The company has approved a stock buyback plan worth $20 billion, allowing for the repurchase of up to 8.9% of its outstanding shares, indicating confidence in its stock value.

Lyell Wealth Management LP lifted its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 103,371 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,071 shares during the period. Lyell Wealth Management LP's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $12,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Omnia Family Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 3,140 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $457,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the first quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 18,378 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,144,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 5,096 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $696,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobsen Capital Management boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Jacobsen Capital Management now owns 2,212 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the company'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 transaction of $4,092,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 399,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,325,688.65. This represents a 6.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.12, for a total transaction of $1,693,440.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 186,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,307,590.40. This trade represents a 6.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS traded down $3.37 on Friday, hitting $139.09. 6,678,496 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,401,069. The firm has a market capitalization of $223.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.32. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $90.94 and a 12 month high of $145.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The business's fifty day moving average is $136.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $128.31.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.06% and a return on equity of 15.33%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Nine equities research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $138.25.

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.