Abner Herrman & Brock LLC Has $25.68 Million Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Abner Herrman & Brock LLC lessened its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 4.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 220,085 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 10,161 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for 3.3% of Abner Herrman & Brock LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Abner Herrman & Brock LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $25,677,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.2%

Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $128.70. The stock had a trading volume of 4,145,567 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,683,521. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $90.94 and a 12-month high of $142.03. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $117.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.27.

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. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.02 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Eleven 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $132.46.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, 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 value of $95,456.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 96,760 shares in the company, valued at $11,545,403.20. The trade was a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the business'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 transaction of $4,800,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 335,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at $40,291,800. This trade represents a 10.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548 over the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.