Morgan Stanley $MS Position Lowered by Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp

Key Points

• Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp cut its Morgan Stanley stake by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 15,766 shares and leaving it with 206,470 shares valued at about $36.7 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $3.43 per share and revenue of $20.58 billion, both ahead of analyst expectations. Revenue rose 16% year over year.
• The company also paid a $1.00 quarterly dividend and has attracted a mixed but generally constructive Wall Street view, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $205.95.

Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp decreased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 206,470 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,766 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $36,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MS. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider owned 365,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $207.74 on Monday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $183.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $327.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $126.35 and a 52 week high of $208.08.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.60 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 36.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Barclays raised 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. Finally, Dbs Bank raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $205.95.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was highlighted in coverage of U.S. banks near record highs, with the firm benefiting from accelerating earnings and sales growth across the sector. Morgan Stanley Joins Elite List As Stock Hits Highs; Goldman Sachs Rides Massive Deals Wave
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst and valuation commentary has reinforced the bull case, with investors focusing on Morgan Stanley’s strong earnings revisions and upgraded outlook after a solid quarterly beat. A Look At Morgan Stanley (MS) Valuation As Analyst Upgrades And Earnings Revisions Lift Confidence
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Morgan Stanley from “strong-buy” to “hold,” which may cap some upside, but the market appears to be looking past that call for now. Zacks.com

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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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