Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 3.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 625,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 24,115 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $60,817,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $963,000 after buying an additional 2,502 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Capital International Ltd. CA lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Ltd. CA now owns 50,667 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,725,000 after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Sarl boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 55,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,211,000 after purchasing an additional 5,742 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,207,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $672,083,000 after purchasing an additional 32,152 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on MS shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $101.79.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.1 %

MS opened at $104.51 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $169.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $100.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.69. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $69.42 and a twelve month high of $109.11.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.17. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The business had revenue of $15.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 7.03 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were given a $0.925 dividend. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.40%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total transaction of $4,261,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 442,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,146,293.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total value of $368,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at $4,549,326. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total value of $4,261,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 442,522 shares in the company, valued at $47,146,293.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 252,000 shares of company stock worth $26,546,370. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.