Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Purchased by CenterBook Partners LP

Key Points

• CenterBook Partners increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 70.1% in the third quarter, ending the period with 13,816 shares valued at about $2.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 84.19% of the company’s stock.
• Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $214.81; views range from two Strong Buys and eleven Buys to thirteen Holds and one Sell.
• Morgan Stanley beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $3.03 per share and $20.34 billion in revenue. It also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share, equivalent to a 2.5% annualized yield.

CenterBook Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 70.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,816 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,693 shares during the quarter. CenterBook Partners LP's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,599,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Asset One Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $216,000. Heritage Family Offices LLP increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 9.1% in the third quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 2,357 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $443,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 45.2% during the third quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 642,158 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $120,777,000 after purchasing an additional 199,804 shares in the last quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 85.6% during the third quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 8,566 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,611,000 after purchasing an additional 3,951 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $205.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $217.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $214.81.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $181.65 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $286.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.42, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.31. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $152.80 and a one year high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.93 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 19.26%. The company's revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.51%.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: CNBC traders named Morgan Stanley among their “final trades,” citing strong earnings and outlooks. Morgan Stanley, Chubb and CF Industries: CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has begun using the DTCC’s tokenization service for U.S. equities and Treasuries. The move positions the bank in emerging blockchain market infrastructure, though reports provide no detail on expected revenue or near-term financial impact. What Could Morgan Stanley (MS) Tokenization Mean For Its Role In Markets?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent weakness in Morgan Stanley shares was described as part of a broad market selloff that dragged down major banks, with no company-specific news identified. The bank’s exposure to trading and dealmaking could make it sensitive if market activity cools. Morgan Stanley Sinks 6%, Goldman Down 6%, Citi Down 5% as Market Selloff Drags Wall Street Banks

Morgan Stanley Profile

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals.

Its Institutional Securities business offers services such as financial advisory, capital raising, sales and trading, and research. The company also provides financial planning, brokerage and banking services through its Wealth Management business, while its Investment Management business offers investment strategies and portfolio management to a range of clients.

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley serves clients in the United States and across international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

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