Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. cut its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,148,084 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 26,150 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned approximately 0.07% of Morgan Stanley worth $144,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Peoples Bank KS bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $130.50.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total transaction of $1,124,092.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 199,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,248,942.10. This represents a 4.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $115.98. The stock had a trading volume of 5,013,135 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,662,001. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $90.55 and a twelve month high of $142.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.06 billion, a PE ratio of 14.61, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. The stock's 50 day moving average is $116.88 and its 200 day moving average is $124.51.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The business's revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.02 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.43%.

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.