Greenwood Capital Associates LLC Buys 7,008 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 9.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 79,111 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,008 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for 1.2% of Greenwood Capital Associates LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $9,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MS. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 12,298 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,546,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 22,479 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,826,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schear Investment Advisers LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC now owns 13,809 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,736,000 after purchasing an additional 3,018 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE MS traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $131.92. The company had a trading volume of 4,258,657 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,683,754. The stock has a market capitalization of $211.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $90.94 and a 1-year high of $142.03. The firm's 50 day moving average is $120.03 and its 200-day moving average is $125.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released 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. The company had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.02 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 43.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total transaction of $1,124,092.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 199,274 shares in the company, valued at $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now owns 335,765 shares in the company, valued at $40,291,800. The trade was a 10.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548 in the last quarter. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $133.23.

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.