Morgan Stanley $MS Stake Lowered by Tributary Capital Management LLC

Tributary Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 120 shares during the period. Tributary Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Abound Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.23.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $157.99 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $166.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $252.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $154.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.03.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.55%. The firm had revenue of $18.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.88 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.03%.

About Morgan Stanley

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.