Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Has $19.35 Million Stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 165,832 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,064 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $19,348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 owned 199,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $4,800,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 335,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This represents a 10.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS traded up $1.06 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $142.13. 2,363,603 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,661,133. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $90.94 and a 1-year high of $142.97. The company has a market capitalization of $228.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. The business's 50 day moving average is $127.81 and its 200-day moving average is $125.71.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. The firm had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 43.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MS shares. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eleven 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $133.62.

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.