Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Leuthold Group LLC

Leuthold Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 73,963 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,560 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 1.1% of Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $9,299,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eubel Brady & Suttman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 17,173 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. WP Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $212,000. Waterfront Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 15,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,948,000 after buying an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forte Capital LLC ADV grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Forte Capital LLC ADV now owns 4,685 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $589,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.01, for a total transaction of $2,380,175.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 81,440 shares in the company, valued at $11,076,654.40. This trade represents a 17.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.20, for a total value of $1,783,811.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 197,444 shares in the company, valued at $26,891,872.80. This represents a 6.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $131.60 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $119.77. 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 has a market capitalization of $212.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.37. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $84.43 and a 52 week high of $142.03.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.68. The company had revenue of $16.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.03 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $107.00 to $142.00 in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $131.27.

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.