Natixis Advisors L.P. Cuts Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Natixis Advisors L.P. lessened its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,104,272 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,235 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned about 0.07% of Morgan Stanley worth $102,972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5,200.0% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 328 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 123.2% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 442 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. Front Row Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 220.6% in the third quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC now owns 452 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $1,009,008.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 126,190 shares in the company, valued at $11,368,457.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total value of $1,009,008.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 126,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,368,457.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.30, for a total value of $8,730,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 350,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,555,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 237,855 shares of company stock worth $21,084,057. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE MS traded up $0.99 during trading on Friday, reaching $93.64. 5,036,988 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,504,937. The firm has a market cap of $152.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.41. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $69.42 and a fifty-two week high of $95.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $90.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.76.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 10.87% and a net margin of 9.57%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 6.78 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.63%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MS. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $91.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. HSBC raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $87.00 price target (down from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $98.30.

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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