Western Wealth Management LLC Has $673,000 Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Western Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 9.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,769 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 571 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $673,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 104.7% in the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of MS stock opened at $140.64 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $126.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $125.54. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $90.94 and a 52 week high of $142.03. The stock has a market cap of $225.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.51, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.43%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 96,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,545,403.20. This trade represents a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 335,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,291,800. The trade was a 10.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548 in the last 90 days. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on MS. Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $133.62.

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.