Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Marvin & Palmer Associates Inc.

Key Points

• Marvin & Palmer Associates Inc. reduced its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 55.7%, now owning 24,097 shares valued at approximately $2.81 million, making it the firm's 19th biggest position.
• Morgan Stanley reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.13, surpassing analyst expectations of $1.98, along with a revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter.
• The company announced a dividend increase to $1.00 per share, with a yield of 2.81%, and initiated a $20 billion stock buyback program, indicating confidence in its stock valuation.

Marvin & Palmer Associates Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 55.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,097 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 30,280 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 4.2% of Marvin & Palmer Associates Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Marvin & Palmer Associates Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,811,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Omnia Family Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 3,140 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $457,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 18,378 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,144,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 5,096 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $696,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobsen Capital Management raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Jacobsen Capital Management now owns 2,212 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.4%

MS stock opened at $142.46 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $90.94 and a 52-week high of $145.16. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $135.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $228.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.30.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research 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. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 41.90%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has approved a stock 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 purchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $138.25.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 43,566 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.97, for a total transaction of $6,141,499.02. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 294,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,480,422.50. The trade was a 12.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 25,583 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.81, for a total transaction of $3,576,759.23. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,662 shares in the company, valued at $17,988,234.22. The trade was a 16.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 188,949 shares of company stock valued at $25,737,084 in the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley 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.

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