SVB Wealth LLC Acquires 336 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

SVB Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,958 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the quarter. SVB Wealth LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Eads & Heald Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 5,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Emfo LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Emfo LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 52,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,903,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 107,515 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,025,000 after acquiring an additional 2,408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sippican Capital Advisors grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Sippican Capital Advisors now owns 6,429 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $600,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $90.23 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $88.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The firm has a market cap of $146.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.44, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.43. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $95.57.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 10.87% and a net margin of 9.57%. The company had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.70 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 6.36 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.77%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MS shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $91.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $97.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total value of $879,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 313,490 shares in the company, valued at $27,562,040.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total transaction of $2,324,049.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 286,835 shares in the company, valued at $25,009,143.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total value of $879,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 313,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,562,040.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 191,155 shares of company stock worth $16,723,094 over the last ninety days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.