Toroso Investments LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) by 7.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,733 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,488 shares during the period. Toroso Investments LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,996,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Arlington Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1,611.8% in the first quarter. Arlington Partners LLC now owns 291 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 208.3% during the 1st quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 333 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elequin Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 83.09% of the company’s stock.
Morgan Stanley Stock Performance
NYSE MS opened at $88.41 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.59, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $87.37 and a 200 day moving average of $86.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $74.67 and a twelve month high of $100.99.
Morgan Stanley announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Friday, June 30th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 12.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.
Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, July 31st were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.85%. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 59.96%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, CEO James P. Gorman sold 125,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $11,543,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,136,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,941,460.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CEO James P. Gorman sold 125,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $11,543,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,136,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,941,460.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 13,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total value of $1,242,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 82,984 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,634,528. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 369,100 shares of company stock worth $34,634,996. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $91.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 18th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $103.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.22.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Morgan Stanley
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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