Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Purchases 15,825 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 10.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 164,055 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 15,825 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $19,140,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 104.7% during the fourth quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MS traded up $1.88 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $137.78. 5,735,629 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,681,448. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $125.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.37. The stock has a market cap of $221.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.17, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.29. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $90.94 and a one year high of $142.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The company's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 43.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total value of $1,124,092.20. Following the sale, the insider now owns 199,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,248,942.10. The trade was a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $4,800,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 335,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This represents a 10.64% 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 valued at $6,019,548. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $133.62.

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.