M&R Capital Management Inc. Sells 133 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

M&R Capital Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 6.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,887 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 133 shares during the period. M&R Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $178,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $958,105,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 17.2% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,451,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,585,561,000 after purchasing an additional 5,631,435 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $512,867,000. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,474,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,917,159,000 after purchasing an additional 4,098,577 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 24,499,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,284,674,000 after buying an additional 1,865,645 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total value of $692,687.94. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 46,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,609,353.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total value of $1,009,008.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 126,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,368,457.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total transaction of $692,687.94. Following the sale, the insider now owns 46,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,609,353.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 118,154 shares of company stock valued at $10,722,696. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.25 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $97.29. The company had a trading volume of 1,883,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,633,711. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $158.11 billion, a PE ratio of 17.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.38. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $69.42 and a 1-year high of $103.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.88%. The firm had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.70 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.49%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 61.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $91.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, TheStreet raised Morgan Stanley from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.30.

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.