Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 2.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 603,565 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 13,218 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $70,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 335,765 shares in the company, valued at $40,291,800. This represents a 10.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 199,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548 in the last ninety days. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.44 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $141.57. 4,837,018 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,693,921. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. The stock has a market cap of $227.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.62, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.30. The firm's fifty day moving average is $130.63 and its 200-day moving average is $126.37. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $90.94 and a 52 week high of $145.16.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued 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 company had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.02 EPS. Research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised 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 note on Wednesday. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $136.69.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.