Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Has $190.44 Million Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. grew its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 10.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,072,718 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 99,078 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 1.2% of Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $190,440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley said the bull market remains intact and could broaden further as investors rotate into cyclical sectors. The ‘Bull Market Is Intact,’ Says Morgan Stanley
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also highlighted stocks that can keep the rally going, reinforcing Morgan Stanley’s influence on market positioning and investor sentiment. These stocks have been beating the S&P 500 and could keep the bull market going, says Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was also in the news for stock-specific research calls, including upgrades and target hikes on names tied to AI infrastructure, data storage, and industrials, which reflects active and influential equity research coverage. Morgan Stanley (MS) Pounds the Table on These Data Storage Names

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $220.65 on Wednesday. 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 has a 52-week low of $129.66 and a 52-week high of $222.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $195.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $181.71. The stock has a market cap of $348.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.60 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.87 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 36.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 282,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $196.00 to $214.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $206.35.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.