Community Bank N.A. Sells 7,185 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Community Bank N.A. lessened its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 31.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,408 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 7,185 shares during the period. Community Bank N.A.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,798,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 1,343.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 29,813 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,748,000 after buying an additional 27,747 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at about $261,000. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $1,827,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 26,328 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,310,000 after acquiring an additional 4,136 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total transaction of $1,124,092.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 199,274 shares in the company, 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 this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total transaction of $95,456.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 96,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,545,403.20. This represents a 0.82% 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 company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.6%

MS stock opened at $130.11 on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $90.94 and a twelve month high of $142.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.74 billion, a PE ratio of 15.27, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $122.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $125.17.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given 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 2.84%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price 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. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $133.23.

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.

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