Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co Invests $1.08 Million in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Walser Wealth Management opened a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter, buying 6,102 shares valued at about $1.08 million. The stake makes MS roughly 0.6% of its portfolio.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.43 beating estimates and revenue of $20.58 billion topping expectations. Revenue rose 16% year over year, and the company also paid a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on the stock, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.35. Institutional ownership is also high, with hedge funds and other investors holding about 84.19% of shares.

Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 6,102 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,083,000. Morgan Stanley makes up 0.6% of Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $173,000. Catalyst Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $844,000. Cambient Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $737,000. McLaughlin Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $763,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $223.69 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $130.90 and a twelve month high of $230.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The company has a market cap of $352.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.23. The company's 50 day moving average is $198.14 and its 200 day moving average is $182.49.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released 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 the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.87 EPS for the current year.

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 given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $189.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Evercore boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.35.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Investment Management and Ridgeback Group agreed to buy Metra Living for £1.045 billion, expanding MS into U.K. rental housing and underscoring its private-markets and real estate growth strategy. Morgan Stanley (MS) Buys Into UK Rentals With £1.045b Metra Living Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage says Morgan Stanley is also benefiting from renewed investor enthusiasm for banks, with the broader financial sector hitting records ahead of the Fed meeting, which is helping support MS sentiment. Big Bank Stocks Hit Records Ahead of Fed Meeting
• Positive Sentiment: News flow continues to frame MS as a long-term growth and wealth-management winner, with commentary highlighting its ambition to reach $10 trillion in client assets and potential upside from a future SpaceX IPO mandate. Morgan Stanley (MS) Is Chasing $10 Trillion In Wealth And A SpaceX Boost
• Neutral Sentiment: Other headlines around Morgan Stanley today were mostly research-related, including notes on oil and sector calls, which are more likely to affect sentiment around specific industries than MS’s core earnings outlook.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

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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