Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Purchased by Nicolet Advisory Services LLC

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $958,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MS. SevenBridge Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. SevenBridge Financial Group LLC now owns 30,760 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,238,000 after purchasing an additional 1,647 shares during the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $7,623,000. Bryce Point Capital LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $523,000. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 23,856 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,999,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 212.0% in the 4th quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 251,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,613,000 after acquiring an additional 170,811 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $119.35 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $192.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $128.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.20. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $85.01 and a 1-year high of $142.03.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.68. The firm had revenue of $16.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.03 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.60%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 197,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,891,872.80. This trade represents a 6.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $11,076,654.40. This trade represents a 17.69 % 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Erste Group Bank lowered Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $130.13.

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.