Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Bought by Chilton Capital Management LLC

Chilton Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 33.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 463,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 116,157 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises approximately 2.4% of Chilton Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Chilton Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $65,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its stake in 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 worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% in 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 acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Abound Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 58.5% in the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS stock opened at $163.78 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $154.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $139.14. 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 cap of $261.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.32. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $166.77.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $16.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Saturday. UBS Group raised their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $122.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. 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. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.23.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.