Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Purchases 3,416 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 45.7% during the first quarter, purchasing an additional 3,416 shares, bringing their total to 10,898 shares valued at approximately $1.27 million.
• Insider sales were notable, with CFO Sharon Yeshaya selling 25,583 shares for approximately $3.58 million, representing a 16.59% decrease in her position.
• Morgan Stanley recently announced a $20 billion stock buyback plan and increased its quarterly dividend to $1.00, reflecting confidence in its stock value.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 45.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,416 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 104.7% in the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on MS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Citigroup reiterated 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. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $138.25.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS traded down $0.0630 on Thursday, reaching $144.0570. The company had a trading volume of 1,762,052 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,636,862. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.09 and a one year high of $149.08. The company has a market capitalization of $229.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.32, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a fifty day moving average of $140.67 and a 200-day moving average of $128.94. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS 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 return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 45.30%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors 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 purchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total value of $4,092,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 399,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $56,325,688.65. This trade represents a 6.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 25,583 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.81, for a total value of $3,576,759.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,988,234.22. The trade was a 16.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.