Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Acquired by Oak Harvest Investment Services

Key Points

• Oak Harvest Investment Services increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 17.7% in the first quarter, holding 126,881 shares worth approximately $14.8 million.
• Several hedge funds, including Goldman Sachs and Vanguard Group, also expanded their holdings in Morgan Stanley, showcasing strong institutional interest.
• Morgan Stanley's stock recently reached a new price target of $145 set by Wells Fargo, as analysts maintain an overall consensus rating of "Hold" with a price target of $138.25.

Oak Harvest Investment Services increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 17.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 126,881 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,051 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 2.1% of Oak Harvest Investment Services' investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Oak Harvest Investment Services' holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $14,803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 117,769,345 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $13,740,149,000 after purchasing an additional 7,636,547 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 21.2% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 17,056,916 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,990,030,000 after acquiring an additional 2,989,122 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.0% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 13,807,153 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,610,881,000 after acquiring an additional 403,956 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 1.7% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 13,063,819 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,523,337,000 after acquiring an additional 219,729 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 9,210,293 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,157,918,000 after purchasing an additional 756,116 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of 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 boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. One 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $138.25.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 119,239 shares in the company, valued at $16,729,231.70. This represents a 14.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 12,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.12, for a total value of $1,693,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 186,420 shares in the company, valued at $26,307,590.40. The trade was a 6.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE MS traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $150.16. 3,897,828 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,572,768. The business's 50 day moving average is $142.34 and its 200-day moving average is $129.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.09 and a 12-month high of $150.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.06% and a return on equity of 15.20%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders 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 represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.30%.

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

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.