Morgan Stanley $MS Stake Boosted by Viking Fund Management LLC

Key Points

• Viking Fund Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 7.4%, now holding 102,000 shares worth approximately $14.37 million, making it the 7th largest position in their portfolio.
• Morgan Stanley's stock price was up 0.3%, with a market cap of $254.9 billion and a P/E ratio of 18.08.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, an increase from the previous dividend of $0.93, representing a 2.5% yield.

Viking Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 102,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 7,000 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises 2.0% of Viking Fund Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Viking Fund Management LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $14,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MS. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 426.3% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 118,947 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $14,954,000 after buying an additional 96,347 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $2,024,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $9,366,000. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 71.8% during the fourth quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 6,605 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $830,000 after acquiring an additional 2,761 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of MS stock opened at $159.68 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $94.33 and a 12 month high of $161.09. The stock has a market cap of $254.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.49.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.06% and a return on equity of 15.20%. The business had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total value of $4,092,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $1,693,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 186,420 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,307,590.40. This trade represents a 6.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MS shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective 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. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $139.92.

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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