SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC Buys 764 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 764 shares during the quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MS. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,474,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,917,159,000 after acquiring an additional 4,098,577 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.3% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 13,159,271 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,074,718,000 after purchasing an additional 415,531 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.2% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 13,107,965 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,070,528,000 after purchasing an additional 277,909 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $956,566,000. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 125,756.8% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,641,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $904,714,000 after buying an additional 10,632,735 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:MS traded up $0.66 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $94.16. 6,624,163 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,981,474. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The company has a market cap of $153.98 billion, a PE ratio of 18.21, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $87.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.16. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $69.42 and a one year high of $95.57.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $12.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.77 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.49% and a return on equity of 10.36%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 31st were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.76%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,215,213.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.30, for a total value of $8,730,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 350,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,555,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The stock was 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 approximately $27,215,213.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 208,155 shares of company stock valued at $18,149,314. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $91.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $94.45.

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.