Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Bought by Bleakley Financial Group LLC

Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 5.5% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 30,443 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,593 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $4,288,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. LifeWealth Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $239,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 840.3% during the 2nd quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 1,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $158,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. now owns 1,958 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 9.1% in the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 184,382 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,941,000 after acquiring an additional 15,414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the second quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,799 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE MS opened at $159.21 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $154.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $166.77. The stock has a market cap of $254.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.33, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.32.

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

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $122.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.23.

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.