Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Increases Stock Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Key Points

• Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 4.9%, owning 281,171 shares valued at approximately $32.8 million after acquiring 13,200 additional shares in the first quarter.
• Insiders have recently sold a significant number of shares, with insider Daniel A. Simkowitz selling 29,000 shares for over $4 million, reflecting a 6.77% decrease in his position.
• Morgan Stanley announced a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, up from $0.93, and plans to repurchase $20 billion worth of its outstanding shares, signaling confidence in the company's valuation.

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 281,171 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 13,200 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $32,855,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth $30,000. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 104.7% during the fourth quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total transaction of $4,092,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 399,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,325,688.65. This trade represents a 6.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 119,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. This represents a 14.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 188,949 shares of company stock valued at $25,737,084 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:MS traded up $1.11 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $144.67. The company had a trading volume of 1,371,956 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,843,164. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. The firm has a market cap of $232.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.30. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $135.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.98. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $90.94 and a twelve month high of $145.19.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share 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 15.33%. The firm had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.82 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically 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 will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on MS. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Nine research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $138.25.

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.