Avanza Fonder AB Purchases 448 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Avanza Fonder AB increased its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.5% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 93,920 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the quarter. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $11,202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 104.7% during the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $131.95 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $90.94 and a 1 year high of $142.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $118.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.16.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 43.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the subject of several analyst reports. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $132.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total value of $95,456.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 96,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,545,403.20. The trade was a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.