Baugh & Associates LLC Cuts Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Baugh & Associates LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.3% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 72,501 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 205 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for 3.6% of Baugh & Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Baugh & Associates LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $6,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 5,200.0% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. First United Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 123.2% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 442 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Union Savings Bank grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.74 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $96.51. 2,253,130 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,587,511. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.38. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $103.25. The business’s 50-day moving average is $96.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.58.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.88%. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.70 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 6.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. TheStreet raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.30.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total value of $1,009,008.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 126,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,368,457.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Morgan Stanley news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total value of $9,021,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 414,870 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,425,422.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $1,009,008.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 126,190 shares in the company, valued at $11,368,457.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 118,154 shares of company stock valued at $10,722,696 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley 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.