Verum Partners LLC Invests $221,000 in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Verum Partners LLC invested $221,000 to acquire 1,569 shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter, marking a significant institutional interest in the company.
• Morgan Stanley recently reported quarterly earnings of $2.13 per share, exceeding analyst expectations by $0.15, along with an 11.8% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company has increased its quarterly dividend from $0.93 to $1.00 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.5%.

Verum Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,569 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,024,000. Ascent Group LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 3,129 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Brucke Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $228,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE MS opened at $160.76 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $256.63 billion, a PE ratio of 18.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.33. The stock's 50 day moving average is $147.56 and its 200 day moving average is $132.13. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $163.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted 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 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The business had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors 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 is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 45.30%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $139.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 18,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.62, for a total value of $2,531,160.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 136,407 shares in the company, valued at $19,181,552.34. This represents a 11.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total value 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 trade represents a 14.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley 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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