Family Firm Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Family Firm Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 13.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,747 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 272 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $204,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alley Investment Management Company LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 75.0% in the first quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 62,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,288,000 after buying an additional 26,763 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 162,269 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,400,000 after buying an additional 42,743 shares during the last quarter. Pamalican Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,513,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,686,000. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 112.0% in the fourth quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 39,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,019,000 after buying an additional 21,090 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $142.25 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $228.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.30. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $90.94 and a 1-year high of $145.16. The company’s fifty day moving average is $132.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $126.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $130.00 price target (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $136.69.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total transaction of $95,456.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 96,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,545,403.20. This trade represents a 0.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total transaction of $1,124,092.20. Following the transaction, the insider owned 199,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.