Strategic Financial Concepts LLC Makes New Investment in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 4,613 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $580,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Peoples Bank KS bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 138.1% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 300 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS traded down $3.19 on Friday, hitting $131.15. 2,584,015 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,438,590. The company has a market capitalization of $211.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The business's 50 day moving average price is $132.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.50. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $84.43 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.68. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The business had revenue of $16.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 46.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on MS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Morgan Stanley from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $107.00 to $142.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $104.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $131.27.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,076,654.40. The trade was a 17.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.20, for a total value of $1,783,811.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 197,444 shares in the company, 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. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

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.