Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd Has $16.70 Million Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 18.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 179,095 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 28,156 shares during the period. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $16,701,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Duality Advisers LP acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,224,000. Welch & Forbes LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.2% in the third quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 7,116 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $581,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 8,064 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $659,000 after purchasing an additional 1,923 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 769.7% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,548 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 1,370 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial River Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth $407,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $1.20 on Tuesday, hitting $101.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,417,814 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,194,770. The company has a market capitalization of $165.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.41. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $69.42 and a 52-week high of $103.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $93.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $88.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 10.88% and a net margin of 9.57%. The firm had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 6.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 61.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $91.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Cfra raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. TheStreet raised Morgan Stanley from a "c+" rating to a "b" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, HSBC lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $98.30.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $1,009,008.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 126,190 shares in the company, valued at $11,368,457.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total value of $9,021,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 414,870 shares in the company, valued at $37,425,422.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 118,154 shares of company stock worth $10,722,696. Insiders own 0.24% 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.