Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Bought by Chilton Capital Management LLC

Chilton Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 10.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 347,651 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 33,884 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 1.7% of Chilton Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Chilton Capital Management LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $40,560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. US Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 34.8% in the 1st quarter. US Asset Management LLC now owns 7,832 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $914,000 after acquiring an additional 2,020 shares during the last quarter. Tradewinds LLC. lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 61,246 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,146,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at about $474,000. Sierra Ocean LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 40.8% during the first quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 718 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.4% during the first quarter. Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 13,412 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,565,000 after buying an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS opened at $144.50 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average is $129.57 and its 200-day moving average is $126.09. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $90.94 and a fifty-two week high of $144.56. The company has a market capitalization of $231.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. The firm had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.02 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.43%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on MS shares. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $133.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $4,800,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 335,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This represents a 10.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total value of $95,456.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 96,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,545,403.20. This trade represents a 0.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.