Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Purchased by DCM Advisors LLC

DCM Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,523 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,561 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 4.1% of DCM Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. DCM Advisors LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $8,723,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 104.7% in the fourth quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price 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. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $132.46.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 2.3%

NYSE:MS traded up $2.93 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $129.00. The stock had a trading volume of 2,238,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,695,167. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $90.94 and a twelve month high of $142.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The company has a market capitalization of $206.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.26, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $117.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $125.44.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The company had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.02 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 43.43%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of Morgan Stanley 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 199,274 shares in the company, valued at $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were 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. The trade was a 10.64% decrease in their position. 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 ninety days. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.