Teacher Retirement System of Texas Purchases 86,286 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 35.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 330,826 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 86,286 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $38,597,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 162,269 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $20,400,000 after purchasing an additional 42,743 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 499,554 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,804,000 after buying an additional 14,283 shares during the period. Pamalican Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $4,513,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $5,686,000. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $5,019,000 after acquiring an additional 21,090 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:MS traded up $1.64 during trading on Friday, reaching $144.50. 3,974,691 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,680,902. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $90.94 and a 52-week high of $144.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $231.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.30. The business's fifty day moving average is $129.57 and its 200-day moving average is $126.05.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.02 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, July 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 43.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total transaction of $1,124,092.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 199,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total transaction of $95,456.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 96,760 shares in the company, valued at $11,545,403.20. The trade was a 0.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. 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 research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Eleven 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $133.62.

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.