Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes $129.34 Million Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,028,803 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $129,341,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.06% of Morgan Stanley as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $132.46.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other 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 transaction, the insider now owns 335,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 4.81% 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 ninety days. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE MS traded down $1.64 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $127.57. 4,047,500 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,701,682. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $117.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $125.48. 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 has a 1 year low of $90.94 and a 1 year high of $142.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $204.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.02 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.90%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.43%.

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.