Deltec Asset Management LLC Trims Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Deltec Asset Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 7.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. Deltec Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,177,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MS. West Paces Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.1% in the first quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 1,283 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 1,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 3,134 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&R Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,020 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE:MS traded up $1.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $97.19. 9,058,849 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,320,035. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. The firm has a market cap of $157.95 billion, a PE ratio of 17.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.38. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $69.42 and a twelve month high of $103.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $96.61 and its 200-day moving average is $91.81.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now owns 46,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,609,353.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total value of $692,687.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,609,353.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 118,154 shares of company stock worth $10,722,696 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on 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 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. TheStreet raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.30.

Morgan Stanley 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.