Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Purchased by Waverly Advisors LLC

Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 71.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,605 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,761 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Ethic Inc. increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 162,269 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $20,400,000 after acquiring an additional 42,743 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 499,554 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,804,000 after acquiring an additional 14,283 shares in the last quarter. Pamalican Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $4,513,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $5,686,000. Finally, NatWest Group plc bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $8,052,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $127.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,448,933 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,681,302. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $90.94 and a fifty-two week high of $142.03. The firm's 50 day moving average is $117.36 and its 200-day moving average is $125.48. 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 firm has a market cap of $204.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, 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 data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 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 analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The business's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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 was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MS. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of 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. 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. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Eleven investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $132.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of Morgan Stanley 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 transaction, the insider now owns 335,765 shares in the company, valued at $40,291,800. The trade was a 10.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.