Orbis Allan Gray Ltd Has $13.32 Million Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Orbis Allan Gray Ltd increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 59.3%, holding 114,172 shares valued at approximately $13.32 million.
• Recent analyst ratings for Morgan Stanley show mixed opinions, with price targets ranging from $130 to $160, and an average rating of "Hold" with a consensus target of $138.25.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share, an increase from the previous $0.93, reflecting a 2.7% yield and a 45.3% payout ratio.

Orbis Allan Gray Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 59.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 114,172 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 42,500 shares during the period. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $13,320,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 104.7% in the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 43,566 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.97, for a total value of $6,141,499.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 294,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,480,422.50. This trade represents a 12.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total value of $4,092,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 399,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,325,688.65. This trade represents a 6.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $138.25.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE MS traded down $0.41 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $148.44. 4,260,295 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,524,654. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market cap of $236.95 billion, a PE ratio of 16.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.33. The company's fifty day moving average is $143.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $129.53. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $94.09 and a fifty-two week high of $150.75.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The company's revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were issued a $1.00 dividend. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 45.30%.

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.