PFG Investments LLC Has $2.26 Million Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

PFG Investments LLC reduced its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 10.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,345 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,312 shares during the quarter. PFG Investments LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,257,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 13.6% in the 1st quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 7,454 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $870,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares during the last quarter. Covea Finance bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at about $3,360,000. Advisor Resource Council bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at about $437,000. Segment Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 51.0% during the first quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,825 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverwater Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.3% in the first quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 4,082 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $476,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note 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 for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. 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. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. 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, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $133.62.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total value of $95,456.00. Following 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the business'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 value of $1,124,092.20. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $132.56 on Friday. 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 50-day moving average of $123.65 and a 200-day moving average of $125.21. The company has a market cap of $212.67 billion, a PE ratio of 15.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.29. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $90.94 and a one year high of $142.03.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.02 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 43.43%.

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.

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