Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stake Lessened by Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC

Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 53.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 237,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 271,769 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 0.9% of Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $23,042,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $20,028,000. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 10,597,493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,029,970,000 after acquiring an additional 212,551 shares in the last quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $9,603,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 288,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,023,000 after acquiring an additional 5,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $8,388,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total value of $368,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,549,326. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total value of $368,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,549,326. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total transaction of $4,261,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 442,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,146,293.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 252,000 shares of company stock valued at $26,546,370 over the last three months. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of MS stock opened at $104.12 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $109.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The firm has a market cap of $169.21 billion, a PE ratio of 18.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $100.07 and a 200-day moving average of $97.17.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $15.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.32 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 7.03 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st were given a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 31st. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.55%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $99.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $101.73.

About Morgan Stanley

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.