Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Greenwood Capital Associates LLC

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC reduced its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 20.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,343 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 8,649 shares during the quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $6,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Atlatl Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $28,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Industry tailwinds support the outlook: Zacks identified Morgan Stanley among investment banks positioned to benefit from increased technology spending, active trading, and stronger underwriting and advisory activity. These trends could support revenue growth across wealth management and institutional securities. 3 Investment Bank Stocks Set to Benefit From Industry Tailwinds
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings momentum remains a fundamental support: Morgan Stanley’s latest quarterly results showed adjusted earnings per share of $3.46, well above the $2.89 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 27.1% year over year to $21.35 billion. However, these results were released earlier and do not represent a fresh trading catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investment-banking activity remains visible: Morgan Stanley was listed among institutional buyers in recent Indian transactions involving Purple Style Labs and Lenskart. These deals may generate advisory or underwriting revenue, but the announcements do not appear material enough to directly affect MS shares. Purple Style Raises Funds Ahead of IPO

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS opened at $214.69 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $216.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $195.32. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $145.65 and a 52-week high of $232.25. The company has a market cap of $338.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.36, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st were paid a $1.15 dividend. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.19%.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MS shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. HSBC increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $243.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $224.75.

About Morgan Stanley

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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