Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Acquired by Ramirez Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• Ramirez Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 176.6%, owning 16,290 shares valued at approximately $2.3 million after acquiring more shares during the second quarter.
• Morgan Stanley reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.13, surpassing analysts' expectations, and had revenue of $16.79 billion, which is an increase of 11.8% year-over-year.
• The company declared a $20 billion share buyback program indicating confidence in its stock valuation and also increased its quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share.

Ramirez Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 176.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,290 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 10,400 shares during the period. Ramirez Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,295,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 58.5% in the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 252 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $156.21 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $151.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.40. The firm has a market cap of $249.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.32. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $163.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The company had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. 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 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 45.30%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 119,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,729,231.70. This trade represents a 14.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 399,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,325,688.65. This represents a 6.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $154.85.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.