Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Position Cut by Evercore Wealth Management LLC

Evercore Wealth Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,274,422 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 8,364 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up 2.4% of Evercore Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Evercore Wealth Management LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Morgan Stanley worth $160,220,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS stock opened at $110.35 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.48. The stock has a market cap of $177.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $90.55 and a 52 week high of $142.03. 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 (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.02 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.43%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total transaction of $1,124,092.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 199,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. The trade was a 4.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the subject of several research reports. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group upped 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. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $130.50.

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.

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