Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC Buys 617,795 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 204.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 919,795 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 617,795 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 1.0% of Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Morgan Stanley worth $163,291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE MS opened at $225.32 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $129.93 and a 12 month high of $228.07. The stock has a market cap of $355.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s 50 day moving average is $197.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $182.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.60 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the sale, the insider owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MS was highlighted in a Zacks note as a “top growth stock for the long term,” reinforcing the market’s growth narrative around Morgan Stanley. Why Morgan Stanley (MS) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Large U.S. banks were broadly strong as investors waited for the Fed meeting, and Morgan Stanley was specifically mentioned among the bank stocks hitting records. Big Bank Stocks Hit Records Ahead of Fed Meeting
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent performance data show Morgan Stanley has already been benefiting from strong earnings, with the latest quarter beating expectations on both EPS and revenue, which supports the stock’s momentum but is not a fresh catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain constructive overall, including Morgan Stanley’s own overweight rating and several higher price targets across the Street, which helps underpin valuation expectations.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MS. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Dbs Bank increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wolfe Research lowered their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $206.35.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.