Apella Capital LLC Invests $316,000 in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Apella Capital LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,830 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $316,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 104.7% in the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MS. Citigroup lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $132.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $4,800,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 335,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This represents a 10.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 199,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. The trade was a 4.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $130.53 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $90.94 and a one year high of $142.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock's 50-day moving average is $118.34 and its 200 day moving average is $125.29. The firm has a market cap of $209.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.44, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.29.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The company had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.83%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 43.43%.

Morgan Stanley Profile

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.

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