Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold 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. lowered its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. 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.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. McLean Asset Management Corp lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the second quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,007 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.5% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 5,022 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $707,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 3,140 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.7% during the second quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunpointe LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.4% during the second quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 2,657 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total value of $2,806,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 119,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,729,231.70. This represents a 14.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total value of $4,092,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 399,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,325,688.65. This represents a 6.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. One 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $139.92.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MS traded up $0.83 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $160.74. 4,421,040 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,492,625. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $161.09. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.64. The firm has a market cap of $256.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.33.

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

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.30%.

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.