Intech Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 19.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,675 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,588 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $12,724,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 317,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,311,000 after purchasing an additional 30,616 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 726 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc now owns 74,097 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,154,000 after purchasing an additional 5,080 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 27,070,557 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,786,350,000 after purchasing an additional 534,708 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coordinated Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 365,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $207.74 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $126.35 and a 12 month high of $208.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $327.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.22. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.39.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Bank of America increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.95.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was highlighted in coverage of U.S. banks near record highs, with the firm benefiting from accelerating earnings and sales growth across the sector. Morgan Stanley Joins Elite List As Stock Hits Highs; Goldman Sachs Rides Massive Deals Wave
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst and valuation commentary has reinforced the bull case, with investors focusing on Morgan Stanley’s strong earnings revisions and upgraded outlook after a solid quarterly beat. A Look At Morgan Stanley (MS) Valuation As Analyst Upgrades And Earnings Revisions Lift Confidence
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Morgan Stanley from “strong-buy” to “hold,” which may cap some upside, but the market appears to be looking past that call for now. Zacks.com

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.