Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by UMB Bank n.a.

UMB Bank n.a. lessened its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 187,301 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,456 shares during the quarter. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $23,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 138.1% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 115.1% in the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 357 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on MS shares. UBS Group upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $107.00 to $142.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the company from $128.00 to $131.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $129.40.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $137.78 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $129.05 and a 200-day moving average of $113.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $221.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.97, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.36. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $83.09 and a 12 month high of $138.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.68. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 12.58%. The business had revenue of $16.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 7.39 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.32%.

Morgan Stanley 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.