Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Purchased by Mirabaud & Cie SA

Key Points

• Mirabaud & Cie SA increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 25.4%, owning 49,217 shares valued at approximately $5.74 million, which accounts for 2.0% of its portfolio.
• Morgan Stanley announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.93 to $1.00 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 2.9% and a payout ratio of 45.30%.
• The company also initiated a stock repurchase plan that allows it to buy back up to $20.00 billion of its shares, indicating management's belief that the stock is undervalued.

Mirabaud & Cie SA raised its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 25.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,217 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 9,970 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 2.0% of Mirabaud & Cie SA's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Mirabaud & Cie SA's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $5,742,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 50.0% in the first quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 104.7% in the fourth quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $138.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 18,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.62, for a total value of $2,531,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 136,407 shares in the company, valued at $19,181,552.34. This trade represents a 11.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total value of $2,806,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 119,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. This represents a 14.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE:MS traded up $2.16 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $141.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,851,495 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,735,002. The business's 50-day moving average is $136.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $128.26. The company has a market capitalization of $226.61 billion, a PE ratio of 16.00, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $90.94 and a 52-week high of $145.48.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.33% and a net margin of 13.06%. Morgan Stanley's revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a $1.00 dividend. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.30%.

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

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.