Guggenheim Capital LLC Grows Stock Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 118,321 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,175 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $14,875,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MS. Peoples Bank KS bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 81,440 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,076,654.40. This trade represents a 17.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 199,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,248,942.10. This represents a 4.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 40,665 shares of company stock valued at $5,288,079. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MS traded up $1.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $109.06. The stock had a trading volume of 5,231,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,655,480. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $90.36 and a 12 month high of $142.03. The company has a market capitalization of $175.89 billion, a PE ratio of 13.74, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. The firm's fifty day moving average is $119.53 and its 200 day moving average is $124.31.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 43.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $130.50.

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.