Tradewinds LLC. Has $8.34 Million Stock Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Tradewinds LLC. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,918 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,104 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for 2.4% of Tradewinds LLC.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Tradewinds LLC.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $8,343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Peoples Bank KS bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 9.7 %

Shares of NYSE MS traded down $11.57 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $107.70. The stock had a trading volume of 15,179,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,592,060. The business's 50 day moving average is $128.42 and its 200-day moving average is $124.20. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $85.01 and a 52 week high of $142.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The company has a market cap of $173.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.56, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35.

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Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $15.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.13 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 46.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup dropped 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. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $129.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.20, for a total transaction of $1,783,811.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 197,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,891,872.80. This represents a 6.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,440 shares in the company, valued at $11,076,654.40. The trade was a 17.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.