MCF Advisors LLC Sells 160 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

MCF Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 4.2% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,617 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 160 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $341,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 17.2% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,451,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,585,561,000 after acquiring an additional 5,631,435 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $2,284,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,865,645 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 20,250,725 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,888,380,000 after purchasing an additional 517,446 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 20,197,232 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,883,392,000 after purchasing an additional 575,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $958,105,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $97.19 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $69.42 and a 12-month high of $103.25. The company has a market capitalization of $157.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.70, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $96.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.76.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.88%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on MS shares. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.30.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $1,009,008.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 126,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,368,457.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total transaction of $9,021,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 414,870 shares in the company, valued at $37,425,422.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 126,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,368,457.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 118,154 shares of company stock worth $10,722,696. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.