Meridian Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 34.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,869 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 6,092 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter valued at about $57,000. Alley Investment Management Company LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 75.0% during the first quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 62,469 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,288,000 after buying an additional 26,763 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 35.8% during the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 162,269 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,400,000 after acquiring an additional 42,743 shares in the last quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 112.0% in the fourth quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 39,921 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,019,000 after acquiring an additional 21,090 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Advisors Inc. OK boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 2.3% in the first quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 503,118 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $58,699,000 after acquiring an additional 11,332 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Morgan Stanley Stock Performance
Shares of MS traded down $3.95 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $144.56. The stock had a trading volume of 3,584,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,705,518. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.37, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $94.09 and a 12 month high of $149.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $139.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.79.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.06% and a return on equity of 15.20%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.
Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.30%.
Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
MS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $138.25.
Read Our Latest Analysis on MS
Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley
In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 12,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.12, for a total transaction of $1,693,440.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 186,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,307,590.40. This trade represents a 6.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 18,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.62, for a total transaction of $2,531,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 136,407 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,181,552.34. The trade was a 11.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628 over the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Morgan Stanley Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
Before you consider Morgan Stanley, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Morgan Stanley wasn't on the list.
While Morgan Stanley currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Nuclear energy stocks are roaring. It's the hottest energy sector of the year. Cameco Corp, Paladin Energy, and BWX Technologies were all up more than 40% in 2024. The biggest market moves could still be ahead of us, and there are seven nuclear energy stocks that could rise much higher in the next several months. To unlock these tickers, enter your email address below.
Get This Free Report
MarketBeat All Access