XY Planning Network Inc. Buys Shares of 1,659 Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• XY Planning Network Inc. acquired 1,659 shares of Morgan Stanley valued at approximately $234,000 in the second quarter, indicating institutional interest in the financial services firm.
• Morgan Stanley's recent quarterly earnings reported an EPS of $2.13, exceeding expectations, with a revenue of $16.79 billion, up 11.8% year-over-year.
• The company has authorized a $20 billion share buyback plan, signaling confidence in its stock valuation, and recently increased its quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share.

XY Planning Network Inc. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,659 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $234,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 11.8% during the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 5,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares during the period. New Hampshire Trust increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 7.9% during the first quarter. New Hampshire Trust now owns 2,364 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 32.4% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 30,104 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,512,000 after purchasing an additional 7,373 shares during the period. Finally, Mechanics Bank Trust Department increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 24.4% during the first quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 5,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $160.13 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $255.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $163.98. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The firm's revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 119,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. This trade represents a 14.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 18,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.62, for a total value of $2,531,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 136,407 shares in the company, valued at $19,181,552.34. The trade was a 11.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $142.00.

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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