Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lowered its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 32.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,362 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,701 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,892,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MS. Ethic Inc. grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 162,269 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,400,000 after purchasing an additional 42,743 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 499,554 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $62,804,000 after purchasing an additional 14,283 shares in the last quarter. Pamalican Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,513,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,686,000. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 112.0% during the 4th quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 39,921 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,019,000 after purchasing an additional 21,090 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley
In other news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the business'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 sale, the director now owns 96,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,545,403.20. The trade was a 0.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 199,274 shares in the company, valued at $22,248,942.10. This represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.
Morgan Stanley Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $132.56 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $123.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $125.21. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $90.94 and a 52 week high of $142.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $212.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.56, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current 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. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 43.43%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research analysts have recently commented on MS shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on 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. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $133.62.
View Our Latest Analysis 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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