Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $251.23 Million Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 11.8%, owning 2,153,343 shares worth approximately $251.2 million after acquiring an additional 228,039 shares.
• Insider transactions revealed that top executives sold significant shares, including Eric F. Grossman who sold 12,000 shares for about $1.69 million, indicating a reduction in insider ownership.
• Morgan Stanley's board approved a substantial $20 billion stock buyback plan, coupled with an increased quarterly dividend from $0.93 to $1.00, reflecting positive outlook and value for shareholders.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 11.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,153,343 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 228,039 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.13% of Morgan Stanley worth $251,231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 104.7% during the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.6%

MS traded up $2.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $143.23. The company had a trading volume of 3,942,908 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,415,230. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $93.54 and a 12 month high of $145.48. The business's fifty day moving average price is $138.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $128.52. The company has a market cap of $228.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.22, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.32.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $16.79 billion for 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 15.20%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program 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 repurchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 a boost 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 of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 45.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 43,566 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.97, for a total value of $6,141,499.02. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 18,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.62, for a total transaction of $2,531,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 136,407 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,181,552.34. This represents a 11.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628 over the last 90 days. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted 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. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $138.25.

About Morgan Stanley

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.