Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $140.46 Million Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 17.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,203,945 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 175,142 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.07% of Morgan Stanley worth $140,464,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 564,663 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $70,990,000 after purchasing an additional 19,389 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $243,000. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 1,879,615 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $236,305,000 after purchasing an additional 223,536 shares during the period. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE MS traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $140.30. 862,437 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,556,665. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $90.94 and a 1 year high of $145.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $134.24 and a 200 day moving average of $127.24. 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 stock has a market cap of $225.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.30.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.33% and a net margin of 13.06%. The firm had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 41.90%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 43,566 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.97, for a total transaction of $6,141,499.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 294,250 shares in the company, valued at $41,480,422.50. This trade represents a 12.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 188,949 shares of company stock worth $25,737,084. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MS. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $138.25.

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.

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