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Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS

Morgan Stanley logo with Finance background

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS cut its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 0.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 479,989 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,600 shares during the quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $56,000,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 104.7% in the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 119,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. The trade was a 14.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 43,566 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.97, for a total transaction of $6,141,499.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 294,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,480,422.50. This trade represents a 12.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 188,949 shares of company stock worth $25,737,084. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE MS traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $140.27. 5,256,567 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,563,364. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $127.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $225.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $90.94 and a twelve month high of $145.16.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.06% and a return on equity of 15.33%. The firm had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.82 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 41.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $138.25.

Read Our Latest Research Report on MS

About Morgan Stanley

(Free Report)

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.

See Also

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

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