Morgan Stanley $MS Stake Lowered by Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA

Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA lowered its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 3.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 65,909 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,400 shares during the quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $10,847,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MS. Waverly Advisors LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 29.3% during the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 112,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,522,000 after buying an additional 25,515 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 68,648 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,297,000 after buying an additional 2,224 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 32.1% during the first quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 8,367 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,377,000 after acquiring an additional 2,035 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 54.8% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,562,523 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $257,144,000 after purchasing an additional 553,374 shares during the period. Finally, Galaxy Digital Capital Management GP LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 298.7% in the 1st quarter. Galaxy Digital Capital Management GP LLC now owns 9,879 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,626,000 after acquiring an additional 7,401 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $214.11 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The firm has a market cap of $337.71 billion, a PE ratio of 17.31, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $136.17 and a 1-year high of $232.25. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $213.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.97.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 15.65%.The business had revenue of $21.35 billion for 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 revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are 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 given a $1.15 dividend. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 32.34%.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s recent earnings results were strong, with the firm beating estimates on both EPS and revenue and posting robust year-over-year growth, which supports the stock’s longer-term fundamental case.
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to receive constructive Wall Street commentary, including a “Moderate Buy” consensus and recent bullish analyst coverage tied to its earnings power and capital markets franchise.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent headlines also pointed to Morgan Stanley’s wealth management unit attracting new assets tied to SpaceX IPO interest, which reinforces the strength of its wealth and investment management businesses.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several unrelated market stories involving Morgan Stanley analyst calls on other stocks, plus broader AI/capex and earnings-driven volatility across large-cap tech and financials, may be influencing sentiment around MS indirectly.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Freedom Capital upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $243.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.50.

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.