Annex Advisory Services LLC decreased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 335,740 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,091 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 1.2% of Annex Advisory Services LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Annex Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $70,183,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Community Financial Services Group LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 297.4% in the 2nd quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages have commented on MS. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.75.
More Morgan Stanley News
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Strategic growth initiative: Morgan Stanley launched the U.S. Innovation Infrastructure Initiative, targeting approximately $1.5 trillion in capital to support U.S. infrastructure, innovation and national-security priorities. The program could expand the firm’s role in long-term capital raising, investment banking and asset management. How Could Morgan Stanley Shape U.S. Growth With Its $1.5 Trillion Initiative?
- Positive Sentiment: Real-estate investment: Morgan Stanley Investment Management’s real-estate funds acquired a 1.5-million-square-foot Kansas City logistics facility for $158.5 million. The transaction adds to the firm’s alternative-investment platform and supports fee-generating asset growth. Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing Acquires Kansas City Facility
- Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings expectations: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2027 EPS forecast for Morgan Stanley to $13.70 from $13.65 and maintained a Buy rating. The estimate is above the broader consensus of $12.79, reinforcing optimism around capital-markets and wealth-management earnings. Erste Group Raises Morgan Stanley EPS Estimate
- Neutral Sentiment: Investment-banking outlook: Commentary from Jim Cramer and comparisons with Bank of America point to stronger M&A activity, trading volumes and investment-banking conditions as potential catalysts for Morgan Stanley. However, these are broad industry views rather than new company-specific guidance. Jim Cramer Recommends Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation and positioning: Morgan Stanley is trading near its 12-month high and above its 200-day moving average, which may encourage investors to lock in gains. The stock’s elevated valuation leaves it sensitive to any slowdown in deal activity, markets or wealth-management growth.
Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.1%
MS opened at $215.03 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $216.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.31. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $141.03 and a 52 week high of $232.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The stock has a market cap of $339.16 billion, a PE ratio of 17.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.22.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.19%.
Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
Morgan Stanley Profile
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.
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