Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 22.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,009 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,964 shares during the period. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,868,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ethic Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 499,554 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $62,804,000 after acquiring an additional 14,283 shares during the last quarter. Pamalican Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,513,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,686,000. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 112.0% in 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. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $130.87 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.48, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $121.86 and a 200 day moving average of $125.14. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $90.94 and a 52 week high of $142.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 43.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on MS shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 report on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $133.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total value of $1,124,092.20. Following the sale, the insider now owns 199,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. This represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total transaction of $95,456.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 96,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,545,403.20. The trade was a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

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.

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