Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Connecticut Wealth Management LLC

Connecticut Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 24.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,823 shares during the quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 17.8% during the third quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 146,688 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,980,000 after purchasing an additional 22,136 shares during the period. Everhart Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 8.8% in the third quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,734 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $387,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 11.2% in the third quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 5,606 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.3% during the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,007,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,466 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $855,000 after purchasing an additional 1,275 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $87.00 price objective (down from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.30.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 286,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,009,143.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total value of $9,021,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 414,870 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,425,422.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 stock was sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total transaction of $2,324,049.45. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 286,835 shares in the company, valued at $25,009,143.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 237,855 shares of company stock worth $21,084,057. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.8 %

Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.79 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $94.43. The company had a trading volume of 2,765,229 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,437,313. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $69.42 and a 1 year high of $95.57. The business has a fifty day moving average of $90.30 and a 200 day moving average of $85.98. The stock has a market cap of $153.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.15, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.41.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.87%. The company had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.70 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.93%.

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.