Reliant Investment Management LLC Makes New $4.60 Million Investment in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Reliant Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 48,838 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,599,000. Morgan Stanley makes up 2.2% of Reliant Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. CGC Financial Services LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 5,200.0% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 123.2% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 442 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Union Savings Bank grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $1,009,008.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 126,190 shares in the company, valued at $11,368,457.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total transaction of $692,687.94. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 46,274 shares in the company, valued at $4,609,353.14. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total value of $1,009,008.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 126,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,368,457.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 118,154 shares of company stock worth $10,722,696 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Morgan Stanley stock traded up $1.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $97.19. The stock had a trading volume of 9,058,849 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,320,035. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $103.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $96.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $157.95 billion, a PE ratio of 17.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 10.88% and a net margin of 9.57%. The business had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.70 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Cfra lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.30.

About Morgan Stanley

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.