Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Rating) by 13.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $945,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MS. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Chelsea Counsel Co. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Accurate Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Elequin Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, My Personal CFO LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 84.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
MS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $90.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 24th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $112.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.34.
Morgan Stanley Stock Performance
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.03. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 11.35% and a net margin of 14.12%. The firm had revenue of $14.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.06 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $0.775 per share. This represents a $3.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.26%.
Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley
In other news, major shareholder Stanley Morgan sold 1,049,889 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total value of $9,921,451.05. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,456,881 shares in the company, valued at $79,917,525.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Thomas H. Glocer sold 4,535 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.11, for a total transaction of $395,043.85. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 98,110 shares in the company, valued at $8,546,362.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Stanley Morgan sold 1,049,889 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total transaction of $9,921,451.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,456,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,917,525.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
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.
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