Hamlin Capital Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Hamlin Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 8.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,178,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 110,420 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises 5.5% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $246,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MS. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 40.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 29,744 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,281,000 after purchasing an additional 8,512 shares during the last quarter. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $1,260,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 646,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $116,102,000 after buying an additional 65,246 shares during the last quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth $8,854,000. Finally, Arsenal Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $814,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MS has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. CICC Research lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $243.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 20th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.75.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of MS stock opened at $218.68 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $344.92 billion, a PE ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $140.51 and a 52-week high of $232.25. The business’s fifty day moving average is $216.16 and its 200 day moving average is $191.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. The business had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm’s revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 37.19%.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s latest quarterly results remain a key support: earnings per share of $3.46 and revenue of $21.35 billion exceeded consensus estimates, with revenue rising 27.1% year over year. The results highlighted strong operating momentum across the financial-services business.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm’s launch of a Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust ETF gives investors new access to cryptocurrency exposure and expands the company’s asset-management product lineup. The offering could provide additional fee revenue and strengthen Morgan Stanley’s position in digital assets. Better Buy: iShares Bitcoin ETF vs. Morgan Stanley Bitcoin ETF
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street’s outlook is cautiously optimistic. Analysts generally see further upside potential, but recent commentary suggests the stock may be fairly valued or slightly overvalued after its substantial multiyear gains and the new crypto ETF launch. Morgan Stanley Stock May Be Slightly Overvalued Following New Crypto ETF Launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent institutional activity shows Morgan Stanley adding to several growth and infrastructure-related holdings while reducing positions in others. These portfolio changes are not a direct company catalyst but reflect ongoing active investment management and may contribute modestly to market attention.

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.