Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Holdings Raised by Capital Advisors Inc. OK

Capital Advisors Inc. OK raised its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 503,118 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,332 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 1.2% of Capital Advisors Inc. OK's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Capital Advisors Inc. OK's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $58,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of MS stock opened at $144.50 on Monday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $90.94 and a 12-month high of $144.56. The company has a market capitalization of $231.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $129.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $126.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on MS. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased 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. Eleven 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, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $133.62.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

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

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