NTV Asset Management LLC Takes $242,000 Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• NTV Asset Management LLC has acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley, purchasing 1,716 shares valued at approximately $242,000 during the second quarter.
• Recent insider transactions included significant sales of shares by executives, with Charles A. Smith and Daniel A. Simkowitz selling 20,000 and 29,000 shares respectively, indicating a notable decrease in their ownership positions.
• Morgan Stanley recently announced a $20 billion stock buyback program and a quarterly dividend increase to $1.00 per share, reflecting confidence in the company's valuation and financial stability.

NTV Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,716 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $242,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MS. McLean Asset Management Corp increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the second quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,007 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 5,022 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $707,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Congress Park Capital LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Congress Park Capital LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $458,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 4.7% during the second quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.8% in the second quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,932 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $695,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total value of $2,806,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 119,239 shares in the company, valued at $16,729,231.70. The trade was a 14.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total transaction of $4,092,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 399,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $56,325,688.65. This represents a 6.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628 in the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $157.40 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $94.33 and a fifty-two week high of $163.98. The business has a fifty day moving average of $150.30 and a 200-day moving average of $134.53. The stock has a market cap of $251.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The firm had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, July 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 45.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MS. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $180.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $152.92.

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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