Eads & Heald Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Rating) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,313 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Eads & Heald Wealth Management’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $367,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $108,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 7.8% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 306,637 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,801,000 after purchasing an additional 22,095 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 61.9% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 6,957 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $608,000 after buying an additional 2,660 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 64.5% during the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 17,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,492,000 after buying an additional 6,696 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 66.9% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 626 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. 83.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley
In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 24,556 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.23, for a total value of $2,412,135.88. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 190,440 shares in the company, valued at $18,706,921.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Alistair Darling sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.70, for a total transaction of $189,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 34,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,263,835.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 24,556 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.23, for a total transaction of $2,412,135.88. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 190,440 shares in the company, valued at $18,706,921.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 341,699 shares of company stock valued at $33,143,046. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Morgan Stanley Stock Performance
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $12.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.16 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 16.73%. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 7.05 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, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 31st were paid a $0.775 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 30th. This represents a $3.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.68%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.49%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $90.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Morgan Stanley from $92.00 to $84.00 in a report on Friday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.63.
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley operates as a global financial services company. The firm provides investment banking products and services to its clients and customers including corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. It operates through the following segments: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management.
Read More
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