Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. Increases Stock Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. raised its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 58.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,893 shares during the quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $122.17 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $197.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.39, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $85.01 and a one year high of $142.03. The business has a fifty day moving average of $130.39 and a 200 day moving average of $123.50.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.68. The business had revenue of $16.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.03 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.13 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 46.60%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 197,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,891,872.80. This represents a 6.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of Morgan Stanley 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,440 shares in the company, valued at $11,076,654.40. This represents a 17.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $132.33.

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.