Madison Asset Management LLC Sells 22,085 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Madison Asset Management cut its Morgan Stanley stake by 17.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 22,085 shares and leaving it with 101,108 shares worth about $17.95 million.
• Several analysts remain constructive on Morgan Stanley, with recent target-price increases from firms including Barclays, BMO Capital Markets, and Evercore. The stock’s consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average target price of $206.26.
• Morgan Stanley reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting $3.43 EPS versus $3.02 expected and revenue of $20.58 billion versus $19.23 billion expected. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, or $4.00 annually, for a 2.1% yield.

Madison Asset Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 17.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 101,108 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 22,085 shares during the quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $17,950,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,855.6% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MS. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Dbs Bank increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $206.26.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its Morgan Stanley price target to $194, reinforcing expectations for further upside. Citi Raises Morgan Stanley (MS) Price Target Following Coverage Transfer
• Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to search Morgan Stanley heavily, suggesting the name is attracting attention heading into the next catalyst cycle. Investors Heavily Search Morgan Stanley (MS): Here is What You Need to Know
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF reportedly pulled in about $193.6 million in its first month with no net outflows, which supports the firm’s growing wealth/asset-management narrative. Morgan Stanley’s MSBT Bitcoin ETF Sees Zero Outflows in First Month

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.4%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $191.83 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $302.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.38, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $123.88 and a 52-week high of $194.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $173.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $174.32.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.60 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 36.23%.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company's chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firm's primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.

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