Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Purchased by Mackenzie Financial Corp

Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 180.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 856,769 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 551,365 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp owned approximately 0.05% of Morgan Stanley worth $107,713,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 104.7% in the fourth quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. 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 research note on Wednesday, March 19th. 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. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, 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 research report on Monday, April 14th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $132.46.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.57 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $128.08. The company had a trading volume of 4,337,089 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,692,257. 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 has a twelve month low of $90.94 and a twelve month high of $142.03. The company has a market cap of $205.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. The company's 50-day moving average is $117.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $125.48.

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

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 43.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $4,800,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 335,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This represents a 10.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 96,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,545,403.20. The trade was a 0.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

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.