Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Bought by National Pension Service

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 0.3% in the second quarter, purchasing 8,212 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 2.96 million shares worth approximately $618.9 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.46 beating estimates of $2.89 and revenue rising 27.1% year over year to $21.35 billion.
• The company authorized a $20 billion share-repurchase program and raised its quarterly dividend from $1.00 to $1.15 per share, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $224.75.

National Pension Service lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 0.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,960,629 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,212 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.19% of Morgan Stanley worth $618,890,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Atlatl Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $215.45 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $151.42 and a twelve month high of $232.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $339.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.21. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $216.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $197.75.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.The company had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.19%.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted Morgan Stanley as a “quiet execution winner” over newer fintech and blockchain companies, providing favorable retail-investor visibility. Jim Cramer backs Morgan Stanley
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s most recent reported quarter showed strong operating momentum: earnings per share of $3.46 beat estimates of $2.89, while revenue of $21.35 billion exceeded the $19.67 billion consensus and increased 27.1% year over year.
• Neutral Sentiment: An opinion article argued that Morgan Stanley may be expensive after its rally, potentially encouraging profit-taking even though the business has delivered strong results. Morgan Stanley valuation commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley strategist Mike Wilson warned that oil prices above $100 per barrel and elevated interest rates are among the main near-term risks for stocks. Higher rates can pressure financial-sector valuations and raise concerns about economic growth and capital-markets activity. Morgan Stanley warns on oil and rates
• Negative Sentiment: Merrill Lynch recruited an advisory team from Morgan Stanley as part of a broader $1.8 billion advisor move. While unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings, the departure adds a modest competitive and wealth-management retention overhang. Merrill recruits Morgan Stanley advisors

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Morgan Stanley from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $224.75.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. The company serves corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and institutional investors through a range of advisory, capital-raising, trading and investment-related activities.

Morgan Stanley's Institutional Securities business offers investment banking services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, underwriting and capital markets services.

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