Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Humankind Investments LLC

Humankind Investments LLC reduced its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 20.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,101 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,076 shares during the quarter. Humankind Investments LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $516,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,540 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 43.1% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 3,820 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $480,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 28,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,530,000 after buying an additional 770 shares in the last quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,470 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $311,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. Finally, Graypoint LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 7,057 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $887,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of MS stock opened at $121.66 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $114.39 and a 200-day moving average of $124.80. The firm has a market cap of $195.18 billion, a PE ratio of 15.32, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $90.94 and a 12 month high of $142.03.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $17.74 billion during 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $4,800,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 335,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This trade represents a 10.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 199,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. The trade was a 4.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548 over the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $132.46.

About Morgan Stanley

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.