Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 7,373 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 32.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,104 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,373 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,512,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MS. New Hampshire Trust grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. New Hampshire Trust now owns 2,364 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Fulcrum Capital LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 5.0% during the first quarter. Fulcrum Capital LLC now owns 3,066 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth about $325,000. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI now owns 197,173 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $23,004,000 after acquiring an additional 1,164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Somerset Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 16,130 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,882,000 after acquiring an additional 708 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:MS traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $128.70. 4,145,567 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,683,521. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $117.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.27. The company has a market cap of $206.47 billion, a PE ratio of 16.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. 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.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 43.43%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 199,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the company'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 value of $95,456.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 96,760 shares in the company, valued at $11,545,403.20. This trade represents a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, 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. Eleven 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $132.46.

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.