Park Edge Advisors LLC Has $2 Million Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Park Edge Advisors LLC increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 217.5% in the first quarter, ending with 12,163 shares valued at about $2.0 million.
• Morgan Stanley recently posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.43 versus the $3.02 estimate and revenue of $20.58 billion, up 16% year over year.
• The company also authorized a $20 billion share repurchase program and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.15 per share, even as some investors remain cautious amid private-credit and broader sector concerns.

Park Edge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 217.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,163 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,332 shares during the period. Park Edge Advisors LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,002,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 9.7% in the first quarter. Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC now owns 2,765 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $455,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 4.8% during the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 40,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,616,000 after buying an additional 1,848 shares during the last quarter. Tanager Wealth Management LLP grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 7.0% during the 1st quarter. Tanager Wealth Management LLP now owns 3,103 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $511,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Global Financial Private Client LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 4,674 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $769,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the period. Finally, MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,721 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $283,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at $53,209,159.78. The trade was a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 in the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. CICC Research lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $208.90.

More Morgan Stanley News

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its quarterly dividend to $1.15 per share from $1.00 and reauthorized a $20 billion multi-year share repurchase program, a shareholder-friendly capital return update. Morgan Stanley Announces a Dividend Increase of 15 Cents to $1.15 Per Share and the Reauthorization of a $20 Billion Multi-Year Common Equity Share Repurchase Program
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Morgan Stanley (MS) to $225 from $200, signaling continued analyst confidence even with an unchanged Equal Weight rating. Morgan Stanley target raised by Wells Fargo
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. received its 10th consecutive “Outstanding” Community Reinvestment Act rating from the OCC, a positive reputational update but likely not a major near-term stock driver. Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. Receives Outstanding Rating for Community Reinvestment Initiatives
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, Morgan Stanley lifted its call on private markets by launching new crypto ETF filings and keeping bullish sector views on names like Coca-Cola and others, but these are more commentary than direct MS earnings drivers. Morgan Stanley Launches 0.14% Ethereum And Solana ETFs With 95% Staking Rewards
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also focused on reports that Morgan Stanley capped withdrawals in its North Haven private credit fund after redemption requests reached about 11.6% of units, reigniting worries about liquidity and private-credit stress. Morgan Stanley caps Q2 withdrawals at North Haven private credit fund
• Negative Sentiment: A broader sector selloff in alternative asset managers and private-credit names is also weighing on sentiment, helping explain why MS is slipping despite the dividend and buyback news. Morgan Stanley (MS) Sees a More Significant Dip Than Broader Market: Some Facts to Know

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of MS stock opened at $220.14 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $135.26 and a 12-month high of $230.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $201.85 and a 200-day moving average of $183.99. The company has a market capitalization of $347.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The firm's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.60 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.23%.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company's chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firm's primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.

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