Avanza Fonder AB Makes New Investment in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Avanza Fonder AB bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 93,472 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $11,751,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 138.1% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 300 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 115.1% during the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 357 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $1.97 on Friday, hitting $137.78. The company had a trading volume of 12,389,736 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,932,170. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $129.05 and a 200-day moving average of $113.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.27 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. Research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 7.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $104.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $129.40.

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.