Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. Reduces Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. cut its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 215,269 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,800 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises 1.0% of Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $27,064,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Peoples Bank KS bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS stock traded up $0.98 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $125.25. The stock had a trading volume of 4,326,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,221,122. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $123.31. The stock has a market cap of $202.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $85.01 and a 52-week high of $142.03.

Remove Ads

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.68. The business had revenue of $16.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.03 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MS. HSBC cut Morgan Stanley from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $128.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $132.33.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.20, for a total transaction of $1,783,811.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 197,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,891,872.80. This represents a 6.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.01, for a total value of $2,380,175.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 81,440 shares in the company, valued at $11,076,654.40. This trade represents a 17.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

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.