Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Purchased by Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.

Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 75,781 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 486 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for 2.8% of Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $7,067,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5,200.0% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 810.8% during the 3rd quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS traded up $0.53 during trading on Thursday, hitting $94.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,654,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,896,182. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $153.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $87.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.09. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $95.57.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $12.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.77 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.49% and a return on equity of 10.36%. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 31st were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 30th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.62%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 65.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MS. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $87.00 target price (down from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $91.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $94.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total transaction of $2,324,049.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 286,835 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,009,143.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Raja Akram sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.41, for a total transaction of $393,345.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,140,842.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total transaction of $2,324,049.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 286,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,009,143.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 208,155 shares of company stock valued at $18,149,314 in the last 90 days. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.