Wealthfront Advisers LLC Has $14.92 Million Stock Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 127,843 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,607 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $14,915,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 104.7% in the fourth quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $1.84 on Thursday, reaching $141.63. 5,112,470 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,628,794. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $90.94 and a one year high of $145.16. The firm has a market cap of $227.22 billion, a PE ratio of 16.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm's 50 day moving average is $133.48 and its 200-day moving average is $127.01.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The company had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 price target (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $136.69.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $4,800,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 335,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This trade represents a 10.64% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total transaction of $95,456.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 96,760 shares in the company, valued at $11,545,403.20. This trade represents a 0.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.