Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Bought by Nexus Investment Management ULC

Nexus Investment Management ULC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 141,701 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 9,674 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up about 2.5% of Nexus Investment Management ULC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Nexus Investment Management ULC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $16,532,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $4,800,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 335,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at $40,291,800. This trade represents a 10.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the 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 directly owns 96,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,545,403.20. This represents a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548 over the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS traded up $0.35 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $128.38. 2,361,433 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,689,363. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $205.97 billion, a PE ratio of 16.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $117.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $125.31. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $90.94 and a 52-week high of $142.03.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MS shares. 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. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of 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. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $132.46.

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.