Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Holdings Decreased by Lbp Am Sa

LBP AM SA decreased its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,682 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,199 shares during the quarter. LBP AM SA's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $10,113,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Alley Investment Management Company LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 75.0% in the 1st quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 62,469 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,288,000 after purchasing an additional 26,763 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 162,269 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $20,400,000 after purchasing an additional 42,743 shares during the last quarter. Pamalican Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $4,513,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $5,686,000. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 112.0% during the 4th quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 39,921 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,019,000 after acquiring an additional 21,090 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of Morgan Stanley 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 199,274 shares in the company, valued at $22,248,942.10. The trade was a 4.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total value of $95,456.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 96,760 shares in the company, valued at $11,545,403.20. This represents a 0.82% decrease in their position. 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 three months. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MS traded down $0.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $142.25. The company had a trading volume of 3,646,848 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,674,329. 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 stock has a market cap of $228.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $132.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $126.70. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $90.94 and a 1-year high of $145.16.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.02 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday. 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. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $136.69.

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.