NatWest Group plc Acquires New Shares in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

NatWest Group plc acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 64,049 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,052,000. Morgan Stanley makes up 2.4% of NatWest Group plc's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $337,000. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 21.5% in the 4th quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 792 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $100,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 160,768 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $20,212,000 after acquiring an additional 15,801 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 2,805,076 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $352,654,000 after purchasing an additional 72,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $71,927,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.01, for a total transaction of $2,380,175.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.20, for a total value of $1,783,811.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 197,444 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on MS shares. HSBC lowered Morgan Stanley from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $128.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $131.27.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock traded down $2.81 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $137.17. The stock had a trading volume of 5,515,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,951,820. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $130.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $117.46. 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 one year low of $83.09 and a one year high of $142.03. The firm has a market cap of $220.98 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.37.

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

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.60%.

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.