Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Cresset Asset Management LLC

Cresset Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 64.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 74,945 shares during the quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $5,161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MS. Crestline Management LP boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 2,670.7% in the fourth quarter. Crestline Management LP now owns 53,364 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,709,000 after acquiring an additional 51,438 shares during the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 114.4% in the 4th quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 2,388 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 19,003 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 191,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,074,000 after purchasing an additional 19,195 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 158,299 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,901,000 after purchasing an additional 35,399 shares during the period. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,247,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS stock opened at $121.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $196.58 billion, a PE ratio of 15.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $114.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.73. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $90.94 and a 52-week high of $142.03.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $132.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total transaction of $95,456.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 96,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,545,403.20. This represents a 0.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total transaction of $1,124,092.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 199,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548 over the last quarter. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.