Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC Sells 7,838 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 86.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,215 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,838 shares during the quarter. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $216,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $225.32 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $129.93 and a 1-year high of $228.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $197.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $182.11. The company has a market capitalization of $355.39 billion, a PE ratio of 20.41, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.60 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.23%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MS shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Citigroup raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. CICC Research raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $206.35.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MS was highlighted in a Zacks note as a “top growth stock for the long term,” reinforcing the market’s growth narrative around Morgan Stanley. Why Morgan Stanley (MS) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Large U.S. banks were broadly strong as investors waited for the Fed meeting, and Morgan Stanley was specifically mentioned among the bank stocks hitting records. Big Bank Stocks Hit Records Ahead of Fed Meeting
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent performance data show Morgan Stanley has already been benefiting from strong earnings, with the latest quarter beating expectations on both EPS and revenue, which supports the stock’s momentum but is not a fresh catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain constructive overall, including Morgan Stanley’s own overweight rating and several higher price targets across the Street, which helps underpin valuation expectations.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company’s chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firm’s primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.