Clearbridge Investments LLC Has $62.86 Million Stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Clearbridge Investments LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 500,016 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 81,401 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $62,862,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Barclays upped 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, January 17th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $129.87.

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Morgan Stanley Stock Down 9.7 %

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded down $11.57 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $107.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,179,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,592,060. The firm has a market capitalization of $173.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.56, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $85.01 and a 1-year high of $142.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) 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. The company had revenue of $16.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.03 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 46.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 value 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.01, for a total transaction of $2,380,175.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,076,654.40. The trade was a 17.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.