Voya Investment Management LLC Increases Stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,250,392 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 195,753 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises about 0.6% of Voya Investment Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Voya Investment Management LLC owned about 0.26% of Morgan Stanley worth $534,359,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 199,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,248,942.10. The trade was a 4.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup decreased their target price 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. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $130.50.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.09 on Tuesday, hitting $115.92. 1,816,182 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,641,302. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $116.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $186.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $90.55 and a 1-year high of $142.03.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.02 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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 will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.43%.

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.