Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Bought by Carret Asset Management LLC

Carret Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 3.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,454 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,056,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. CGC Financial Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5,200.0% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. First United Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 123.2% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 442 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Union Savings Bank increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.6 %

MS traded up $0.55 on Wednesday, reaching $100.20. 2,992,401 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,587,725. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $69.42 and a twelve month high of $103.25. The company’s 50 day moving average is $96.87 and its 200-day moving average is $91.92. 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 company has a market cap of $162.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.22, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.38.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.88%. The business had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 6.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 61.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on MS. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $91.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Cfra increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.48.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of Morgan Stanley 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 126,190 shares in the company, valued at $11,368,457.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total value of $692,687.94. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,609,353.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 126,190 shares of the company’s stock, 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 in the last ninety days. 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.