Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 5.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 147,477 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 8,267 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $16,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 3,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,053,000. Sherman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $147,000. Finally, BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $295,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Morgan Stanley Stock Performance
Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $140.64 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $90.94 and a 1 year high of $142.28. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $126.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $125.51. The firm has a market cap of $225.63 billion, a PE ratio of 16.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. The firm had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 43.43%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 $40,291,800. This trade represents a 10.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
MS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Eleven equities research 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $133.62.
View Our Latest Stock Report on MS
Morgan Stanley Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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