3,479 Shares in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Acquired by RVW Wealth LLC

Key Points

• RVW Wealth LLC has acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley, purchasing 3,479 shares valued at approximately $406,000 during the first quarter.
• Morgan Stanley's board has initiated a $20 billion share buyback plan, which allows the company to repurchase up to 8.9% of its outstanding shares, indicating a belief that the stock is undervalued.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend from $0.93 to $1.00, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.76% for shareholders.

RVW Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,479 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $406,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. May Hill Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $277,000. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 23,856 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,999,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Bryce Point Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $523,000. Finally, Cinctive Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $7,623,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded down $3.37 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $139.09. The company had a trading volume of 6,678,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,401,069. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $136.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $128.31. The stock has a market cap of $223.14 billion, a PE ratio of 15.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $90.94 and a 1-year high of $145.48.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $16.79 billion for 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 15.33%. Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 45.30%.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has approved a stock buyback 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 reacquire up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Nine equities 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. According to MarketBeat, 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 Eric F. Grossman sold 12,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.12, for a total transaction of $1,693,440.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 186,420 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,307,590.40. This trade represents a 6.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total value of $4,092,770.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 399,105 shares in the company, valued at $56,325,688.65. The trade was a 6.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

About Morgan Stanley

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.