Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Acquired 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 second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 102,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,000 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 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.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth $30,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 12,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.12, for a total value of $1,693,440.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 186,420 shares in the company, valued at $26,307,590.40. This trade represents a 6.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 119,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. This trade represents a 14.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS stock traded up $1.17 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $161.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,159,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,467,947. The business has a fifty day moving average of $147.18 and a 200-day moving average of $131.93. The stock has a market cap of $258.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.33. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $163.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30.

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

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock 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 purchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. 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, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $139.92.

Morgan Stanley 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.