Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. trimmed its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 12.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 52,849 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,644,000 after acquiring an additional 2,094 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $251,000. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,581 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,462,000 after acquiring an additional 1,709 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,272 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE MS traded down $1.90 on Tuesday, reaching $135.97. 4,380,747 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,835,581. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $83.09 and a fifty-two week high of $138.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $219.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.36. The business's fifty day moving average price is $129.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $114.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.68. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The firm had revenue of $16.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on MS shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Hsbc Global Res cut Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $131.27.

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.