Cerity Partners LLC Has $26.87 Million Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Cerity Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 230,309 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,031 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $26,870,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MS. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 25,475 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,971,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. Code Waechter LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 4,330 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 29,081 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,362,000 after purchasing an additional 1,043 shares during the period. Main Street Research LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $15,686,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 603,565 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $70,418,000 after acquiring an additional 13,218 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded down $0.84 on Friday, reaching $142.25. 3,646,848 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,674,329. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $90.94 and a one year high of $145.16. The company has a market capitalization of $228.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.70, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. The company has a 50-day moving average of $132.11 and a 200 day moving average of $126.71.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on MS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $136.69.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.