Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Acquired by Achmea Investment Management B.V.

Achmea Investment Management B.V. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 45.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 145,633 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 45,414 shares during the quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $16,990,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the company's 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 now owns 199,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,248,942.10. This represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This trade represents a 10.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price target (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI cut their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $133.62.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.89 on Friday, reaching $140.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,240,555 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,677,255. The company has a market capitalization of $225.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.51, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.29. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $90.94 and a 52-week high of $142.03. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $126.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $125.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.02 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 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.