Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Position Lowered by Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC

Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lessened its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 5.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,527 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 545 shares during the quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,111,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ethic Inc. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 162,269 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,400,000 after acquiring an additional 42,743 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 499,554 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,804,000 after buying an additional 14,283 shares in the last quarter. Pamalican Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,513,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,686,000. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 112.0% in the 4th quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 39,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,019,000 after buying an additional 21,090 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.8%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $132.45 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $212.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $123.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $125.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $90.94 and a 1-year high of $142.03.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.02 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.79%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 43.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $133.62.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $4,800,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 335,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This trade represents a 10.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total transaction of $95,456.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 96,760 shares in the company, valued at $11,545,403.20. This represents a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548. 0.19% of the stock is owned by 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.