Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Trims Stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 228,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 33,720 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $28,703,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Peoples Bank KS bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 138.1% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 115.1% during the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 357 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.5 %

MS opened at $137.78 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $221.97 billion, a PE ratio of 17.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.36. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $83.09 and a twelve month high of $138.08. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $129.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.68. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The business had revenue of $16.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $107.00 to $142.00 in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased 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. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $129.40.

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.