Financial Counselors Inc. Decreases Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Financial Counselors Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 150 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Square LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $537,000. Aspiriant LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 4,275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Jmac Enterprises LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 44.4% in the 4th quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 3,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, Segment Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, CFO Raja Akram sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.56, for a total transaction of $584,920.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 97,634 shares in the company, valued at $8,158,297.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.13, for a total value of $841,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 323,490 shares in the company, valued at $27,215,213.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 7,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.56, for a total transaction of $584,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 97,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,158,297.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 208,155 shares of company stock worth $18,149,314. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MS. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 target price (down previously from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $91.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $95.48.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:MS opened at $86.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $140.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.69, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.43. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $69.42 and a 1-year high of $95.57. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $88.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $12.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.77 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.49% and a return on equity of 10.36%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.31 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.36 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 30th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.94%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.76%.

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.