Somerville Kurt F Makes New $1.30 Million Investment in Morgan Stanley $MS

Somerville Kurt F acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 6,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,296,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 55.7% during the second quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on MS. Citigroup raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $243.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.75.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s disclosed 5.6% stake in quantum-computing company IonQ highlights continued participation in emerging technology themes and could create potential investment-banking or asset-management opportunities. Morgan Stanley Discloses 5.6% Stake in IonQ
• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks analysis characterizes Morgan Stanley as an attractive dividend stock, reinforcing the investment case for income-oriented shareholders. The company recently delivered a strong earnings beat, with revenue up 27.1% year over year, supporting confidence in its ability to maintain shareholder distributions. Why Morgan Stanley Is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is reportedly among the banks arranging financing for Anthropic ahead of a potential initial public offering. The mandate could generate fees and strengthen the firm’s position in artificial-intelligence-related capital markets, although the article contains forward-looking and promotional claims that have not been independently verified. The Pre-IPO Playbook: How to Cash in on Anthropic Before the Bell
• Negative Sentiment: Former Morgan Stanley advisor Elizabeth Hobson has accused the firm of gender- and disability-based workplace discrimination, alleging inappropriate management pressure, confidentiality breaches and denial of medical leave. The claims are not established findings, but they create potential legal, compliance and reputational risks for investors. What Is Morgan Stanley Being Accused Of?

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE:MS opened at $214.30 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $141.03 and a one year high of $232.25. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $217.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $193.81. The stock has a market cap of $338.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.19%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

About Morgan Stanley

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.