Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by GTS Securities LLC

Key Points

• GTS Securities cut its Morgan Stanley stake by 64.4% in the second quarter, selling 6,231 shares and retaining 3,441 shares valued at approximately $719,000.
• Despite GTS’s reduction, institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of Morgan Stanley, with several firms increasing positions or initiating new stakes during the quarter.
• Morgan Stanley reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.46 and revenue of $21.35 billion, while approving a $20 billion share repurchase program and raising its quarterly dividend to $1.15.

GTS Securities LLC lowered its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 64.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,441 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,231 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 248,624 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $51,972,000 after acquiring an additional 7,577 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 8,343 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,744,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Okabena Investment Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $218,000. Spinnaker Trust bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $250,000. Finally, Greenleaf Trust lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.6% during the second quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 29,247 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,114,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $214.69 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The business has a 50 day moving average of $216.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $195.41. 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 P/E ratio of 17.36, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.22.

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

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on MS shares. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Freedom Capital upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Three equities research 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 given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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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