Dupont Capital Management Corp Sells 15,522 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Dupont Capital Management Corp reduced its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 15.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 83,219 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,522 shares during the quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $9,709,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 104.7% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the director now owns 96,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,545,403.20. This trade represents a 0.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 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.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.0%

MS traded up $0.04 during trading on Friday, hitting $132.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,899,235 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,722,654. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $90.94 and a twelve month high of $142.03. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $123.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.25. The stock has a market cap of $212.67 billion, a PE ratio of 15.56, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The firm had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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 of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 43.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MS. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Citigroup reiterated 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $133.62.

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.