Erste Asset Management GmbH Lowers Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Erste Asset Management GmbH reduced its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 22.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 344,853 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 97,423 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $43,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 138.1% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 300 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 115.1% in the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 357 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:MS opened at $113.99 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $131.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $183.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.36, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $85.01 and a 1 year high of $142.03.

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Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.68. The firm had revenue of $16.23 billion during 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%. Morgan Stanley's revenue was up 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. 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 report on Monday, January 13th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Barclays lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res cut Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $131.27.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 197,444 shares in the company, valued at $26,891,872.80. This trade represents a 6.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 81,440 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,076,654.40. This represents a 17.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

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.

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