Morgan Stanley $MS Stock Position Lowered by UMB Bank n.a.

Key Points

• UMB Bank n.a. has reduced its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.6%, selling 6,511 shares, leaving them with 173,054 shares valued at approximately $24.38 million.
• Several analysts have recently revised their price targets for Morgan Stanley, with Wells Fargo raising its target from $145 to $165, reflecting strong market sentiment.
• Morgan Stanley announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.93 to $1.00, representing a dividend yield of 2.5%, and also authorized a $20 billion share buyback plan.

UMB Bank n.a. reduced its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 173,054 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,511 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $24,376,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Adirondack Trust Co. grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 5,911 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $833,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 5,022 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 3,812 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $537,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 25.2% during the second quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,028 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $567,000 after purchasing an additional 812 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.12, for a total value of $1,693,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 186,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,307,590.40. This represents a 6.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 43,566 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.97, for a total value of $6,141,499.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 294,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,480,422.50. This trade represents a 12.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of MS stock traded down $0.23 on Tuesday, reaching $160.48. 3,345,865 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,474,650. The stock has a market cap of $256.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $147.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.93. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $163.98.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The firm's revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price target (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $139.92.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.