Morgan Stanley $MS Stock: Annex Advisory Services LLC Lowers Stake

Annex Advisory Services LLC reduced its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 329,367 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,373 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 1.0% of Annex Advisory Services LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Annex Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $61,947,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% during the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Atlatl Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 55.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Security National Bank of SO Dak acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $180.73 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $152.80 and a 1-year high of $232.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $204.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $203.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $285.07 billion, a PE ratio of 14.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 19.40%. The firm had revenue of $20.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.80 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 12.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.19%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buy back $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record wealth-management results, including approximately $9.1 billion in revenue, strong net new assets and $10.5 trillion in wealth assets, reinforced Morgan Stanley’s long-term growth strategy. Morgan Stanley Q3 profit hits $4.9bn on wealth gains and IPO inflows
• Positive Sentiment: Equities trading revenue surged 41% year over year, helping drive the earnings and revenue outperformance. Management also highlighted opportunities from AI financing and disciplined capital allocation. Morgan Stanley Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Wealth and AI Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley declared a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share, equivalent to $4.60 annually and a stated yield of about 2.5%, providing ongoing shareholder support.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed: JPMorgan raised its target to $198 while maintaining a Neutral rating, but Citigroup, TD Cowen and KBW lowered their targets to $190, $205 and $230, respectively. Morgan Stanley Analysts Cut Their Forecasts After Q3 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors appeared concerned that growth was concentrated in equities and trading, while profitability metrics and the business mix were less compelling. The strong beat therefore did not translate into higher valuation expectations. Morgan Stanley Beats on Earnings, But Shares Fall on Trading Mix

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Morgan Stanley from $243.00 to $195.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $260.00 to $236.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Oppenheimer downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Erste Group Bank lowered Morgan Stanley from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $214.86.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm serving corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and other investors. The company provides investment banking and advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, equity and debt underwriting, securities sales and trading, and corporate lending.

Through its Wealth Management business, Morgan Stanley offers financial planning, brokerage, investment advisory and banking services to individual investors, businesses and institutions.

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