Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Bought by Scotia Capital Inc.

Scotia Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 26.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,742 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 25,529 shares during the quarter. Scotia Capital Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $15,180,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS traded down $1.32 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $109.12. 1,883,628 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,701,203. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $121.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.36. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $88.00 and a 12 month high of $142.03. The stock has a market cap of $175.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The company had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.02 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.43%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.01, for a total value of $2,380,175.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,440 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,076,654.40. This trade represents a 17.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.20, for a total transaction of $1,783,811.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 197,444 shares in the company, valued at $26,891,872.80. The trade was a 6.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Erste Group Bank downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $129.00.

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.