BankPlus Trust Department Acquires Stake in Morgan Stanley

The BankPlus Trust Department has recently made a significant investment by acquiring a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter. This information comes from their most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Specifically, BankPlus Trust Department acquired 4,197 shares of the financial services provider's stock, which amounts to a value of approximately $528,000.

In addition to BankPlus, there have been several institutional investors and hedge funds that have either increased or decreased their stakes in Morgan Stanley. For instance, Peoples Bank KS invested in Morgan Stanley for an amount of $25,000 during the same fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. significantly boosted its holdings by 138.1% during the third quarter, now owning 300 shares valued at about $31,000 after adding another 174 shares. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC also placed a new stake in Morgan Stanley worth approximately $35,000 during the fourth quarter. Furthermore, Capital Performance Advisors LLP made a new investment during the third quarter as well, amounting to around $36,000. Lastly, Planning Capital Management Corp grew its position by 115.1% during the third quarter, resulting in ownership of 357 shares valued at $37,000. Notably, 84.19% of Morgan Stanley's stock is held by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Trading Activities

In related insider news, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of Morgan Stanley on January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.01, totaling a substantial amount of $2,380,175. After this transaction, Akram holds 81,440 shares valued at around $11,076,654.40, reflecting a 17.69% decrease in ownership. This transaction was formally disclosed through a filing with the SEC.

Additionally, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the stock on the same day, with an average selling price of $136.20, resulting in a total of $1,783,811.40. Post-sale, Grossman owns approximately 197,444 shares valued at about $26,891,872.80, which reflects a 6.22% reduction in his stake. Company insiders collectively hold 0.24% of Morgan Stanley stock.

Analysts' Insights

Recent discussions among Wall Street analysts have focused on Morgan Stanley's stock performance. Notably, Evercore ISI raised its price target for Morgan Stanley shares from $140.00 to $150.00 while labeling the stock as an 'outperform' in a report released on January 17th. UBS Group followed suit, increasing their price target from $130.00 to $140.00 and maintaining a 'neutral' rating in their evaluation on January 21st. Citigroup similarly adjusted their price objective upwards from $105.00 to $135.00, also retaining a 'neutral' rating since November 25th. Furthermore, Bank of America increased their target pricing to $153.00 and kept a 'buy' rating in their report from January 17th. Barclays also raised its target to $156.00 and provided an 'overweight' rating on the same day. Overall, a total of eleven analysts have assigned a 'hold' rating to the stock, while six analysts consider it a 'buy.' The average rating stands at 'Hold,' with a price target of $131.27 according to MarketBeat data.

Current Stock Performance

As of Monday, Morgan Stanley's stock was trading at $131.60, showing a minor decline of 2.0%. The stock's fifty-day moving average is noted at $132.37, while the 200-day moving average is at $120.16. Morgan Stanley's market capitalization stands at $212.02 billion, with a P/E ratio of 16.57. Moreover, the company's P/E/G ratio is 1.18, and it has a beta of 1.37. The stock has seen a fifty-two week low of $84.43 and a high of $142.03. Key financial ratios for Morgan Stanley include a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, as well as a quick ratio and current ratio both at 0.80.

On January 16th, Morgan Stanley disclosed its quarterly earnings, reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $2.22, surpassing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by a considerable margin of $0.68. The firm reported a net margin of 12.48% and achieved a return on equity of 14.39%. Revenue amounted to $16.23 billion for the quarter, showing substantial growth compared to the consensus estimate of $15.03 billion. This represents a significant increase from the previous year’s revenues, climbing up 25.9%. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will achieve an EPS of 8.56 for the current fiscal year.

Dividend Information

Morgan Stanley has also made headlines by announcing a quarterly dividend. Shareholders on record as of January 31st received a dividend payment of $0.925 per share. The dividend was paid on February 14th, which translates to an annual dividend of $3.70 and a yield of 2.81%. Importantly, the company’s payout ratio stands at 46.60%.

Overview of Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley operates as a financial holding company and offers a range of financial products and services to various clients, including corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individual consumers. Their services are divided into three segments: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management.

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