Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stake Cut by Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY

Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY reduced its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 260,351 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 20,073 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 3.4% of Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY's holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $30,375,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in 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. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 42.7% in the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 2,750 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 823 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 77.5% in the fourth quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 56,065 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,048,000 after purchasing an additional 24,477 shares in the last quarter. Forte Capital LLC ADV boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Forte Capital LLC ADV now owns 4,685 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $589,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 17,173 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,159,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MS shares. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 research report on Monday, April 14th. Eleven equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $133.62.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $4,800,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 335,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This trade represents a 10.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were 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 owns 96,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,545,403.20. This represents a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $1.88 on Wednesday, reaching $137.78. 5,735,629 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,681,511. The company has a 50 day moving average of $124.66 and a 200 day moving average of $125.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $90.94 and a 52 week high of $142.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.04 billion, a PE ratio of 16.17, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.29.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. Morgan Stanley's revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.02 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.43%.

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.