Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Interchange Capital Partners LLC

Key Points

• Interchange Capital Partners LLC significantly reduced its stake in Morgan Stanley by 96.6%, now holding only 428 shares, valued at $60,000.
• Several equities analysts have raised their price targets for Morgan Stanley, with objectives ranging from $155.00 to $180.00, reflecting positive growth forecasts.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings of $2.80 per share, exceeding estimates by $0.73, along with a revenue increase of 18.5% year-over-year.

Interchange Capital Partners LLC cut its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 96.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 428 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 12,147 shares during the period. Interchange Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $60,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MS. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 50.0% during the first quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 58.5% during the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 252 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MS shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.85.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $161.91 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $166.77. The business's 50-day moving average price is $152.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.38. The firm has a market cap of $258.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.32.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The firm had revenue of $18.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.88 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 45.30%.

About Morgan Stanley

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.

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