Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,984,403 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 117,662 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.50% of Morgan Stanley worth $1,003,817,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MS. Edgar Lomax Co. VA increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 116.3% in the fourth quarter. Edgar Lomax Co. VA now owns 366,710 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,103,000 after purchasing an additional 197,165 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 754,542 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $94,861,000 after buying an additional 14,690 shares in the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $207,000. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 21,017 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,642,000 after buying an additional 1,856 shares during the period. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 75.4% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 12,253 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,540,000 after acquiring an additional 5,269 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of MS traded up $1.94 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $112.32. 9,237,263 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,661,443. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $90.55 and a 1 year high of $142.03. The firm's fifty day moving average is $118.38 and its 200-day moving average is $124.48. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $181.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The company had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.02 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total transaction of $1,124,092.20. Following the sale, the insider now owns 199,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. The trade was a 4.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. UBS Group raised 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. 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. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $130.50.

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.