Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Hold" from the eighteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $129.87.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $142.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was 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 $11,076,654.40. The trade was a 17.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.20, for a total transaction of $1,783,811.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 197,444 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,891,872.80. This represents a 6.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Peoples Bank KS bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 104.7% during the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MS traded down $8.18 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $99.75. 18,867,354 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,660,242. The company has a market capitalization of $160.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $127.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $124.25. 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 52-week low of $85.01 and a 52-week high of $142.03.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.68. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The firm had revenue of $16.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.60%.

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.