LPL Financial LLC Raises Stock Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 15.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,408,908 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 192,027 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned 0.09% of Morgan Stanley worth $136,932,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 328.0% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,739 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,415,000 after acquiring an additional 11,295 shares during the last quarter. Apexium Financial LP lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 43.9% in the 4th quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 4,082 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,370 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares during the last quarter. First National Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 56.1% during the fourth quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 13,325 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,243,000 after buying an additional 4,787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lee Financial Co raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 201.0% in the fourth quarter. Lee Financial Co now owns 16,444 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,533,000 after buying an additional 10,980 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:MS opened at $96.64 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $69.42 and a 52 week high of $109.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $100.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $15.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.32 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 10.17%. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 7.03 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st were issued a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.83%. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 67.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer lowered Morgan Stanley from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $101.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, CFO Raja Akram sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.37, for a total value of $797,775.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 87,119 shares in the company, valued at $9,266,848.03. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Raja Akram sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.37, for a total transaction of $797,775.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 87,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,266,848.03. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.06, for a total transaction of $21,012,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 150,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,759,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 252,000 shares of company stock valued at $26,546,370 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.