Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stake Lessened by Gries Financial LLC

Gries Financial LLC lessened its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 89.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,139 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 18,354 shares during the period. Gries Financial LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $250,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at $30,000. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 104.7% during the fourth quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total value of $2,806,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 119,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. This trade represents a 14.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total value of $4,092,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 399,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,325,688.65. This trade represents a 6.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 188,949 shares of company stock worth $25,737,084. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $140.43 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $134.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $127.24. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $90.94 and a 52-week high of $145.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $225.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.30.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.33% and a net margin of 13.06%. The company had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MS shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Nine 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $138.25.

Morgan Stanley Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.