Talon Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) by 20.1% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 19,309 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,228 shares during the quarter. Talon Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $4,036,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at approximately $8,854,000. Arsenal Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $814,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 201.0% during the 1st quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,559 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,890,000 after acquiring an additional 11,726 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 71,675 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,724,000 after acquiring an additional 11,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, L & S Advisors Inc purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $5,896,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.
Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.8%
Shares of MS traded up $1.75 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $214.41. 3,928,392 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,194,223. The company has a market capitalization of $338.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $151.84 and a 52 week high of $232.25. The company’s 50 day moving average is $216.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $198.02.
Morgan Stanley declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.
Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st were issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.19%.
Morgan Stanley News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley highlighted an estimated $80 billion opportunity for Tesla’s electric and autonomous Semi trucks, supported by record diesel prices. The research reinforces the firm’s position in high-profile growth themes and may support sentiment toward its advisory and research businesses. Morgan Stanley Sees $80 Billion Tesla Semi Opportunity
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley remains part of a group of large investment banks viewed as attractively valued after strong six-month gains, with analysts citing potential support from investment banking, trading and wealth-management activity. 4 Thriving Investment Bank Behemoths to Buy With Attractive Valuation
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s collaboration with OpenAI on ChatGPT for financial services gives the company an opportunity to improve advisor productivity and client service while strengthening its technology positioning among major banks. OpenAI Courts Wall Street With ChatGPT for Financial Services
- Neutral Sentiment: The stock’s recent pullback relative to the broader market has drawn attention, but the company’s latest quarterly results remain a strong fundamental backdrop: earnings and revenue exceeded expectations, while revenue rose 27.1% year over year. Morgan Stanley Sees a More Significant Dip Than Broader Market
- Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s cautious view of the sportswear industry—citing fragmentation, heavy promotions and weak consumer sponsorship—could weigh modestly on sentiment toward its research and sector-exposure businesses, although it is not a direct company earnings catalyst. Morgan Stanley’s Preferred Sportswear Stock
Analysts Set New Price Targets
MS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $243.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.75.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MS
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. The company serves corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and institutional investors through a range of advisory, capital-raising, trading and investment-related activities.
Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Securities business offers investment banking services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, underwriting and capital markets services.
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