Main Street Research LLC Acquires Shares of 134,444 Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Main Street Research LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 134,444 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $15,686,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.44 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $141.57. 4,837,018 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,692,240. The stock has a market cap of $227.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.62, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $90.94 and a 52 week high of $145.16. The firm's fifty day moving average is $130.63 and its 200-day moving average is $126.37.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The firm's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. Research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.43%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. 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. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $136.69.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total value of $95,456.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 96,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,545,403.20. The trade was a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $4,800,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 335,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at $40,291,800. The trade was a 10.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

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.