Alteri Wealth LLC Acquires Shares of 2,425 Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Alteri Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,425 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $305,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,711,805 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $491,159,000 after purchasing an additional 36,120 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,040,000. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $597,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 75.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,850,848 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $881,493,000 after acquiring an additional 3,369,520 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 117.2% during the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 16,968 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,133,000 after purchasing an additional 9,156 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.6 %

Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.76 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $119.09. 4,680,570 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,683,372. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $114.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.75. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $90.94 and a twelve month high of $142.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $192.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.00, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.02 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 43.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MS. Barclays lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $132.46.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total value of $1,124,092.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 199,274 shares in the company, valued at $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total value of $95,456.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 96,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,545,403.20. The trade was a 0.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548 in the last 90 days. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.