Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc.

T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. cut its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 89.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,827 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 47,449 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $1,910,200,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 21,794,873 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,740,051,000 after acquiring an additional 6,744,333 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 75.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,850,848 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $881,493,000 after purchasing an additional 3,369,520 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 25,561,560 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,213,599,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $324,118,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $115.98 on Monday. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $90.55 and a 1-year high of $142.03. The stock has a market cap of $187.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.61, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $116.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.73.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.02 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 4.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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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