NewEdge Advisors LLC Acquires 1,882 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 109,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,882 shares during the quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $13,819,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of MS opened at $109.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $175.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.74, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $89.74 and a one year high of $142.03. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The company had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 43.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $130.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total value of $1,124,092.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 199,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.01, for a total value of $2,380,175.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,440 shares in the company, valued at $11,076,654.40. This trade represents a 17.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 40,665 shares of company stock valued at $5,288,079. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.