Todd Asset Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Todd Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 415,311 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,835 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises about 0.9% of Todd Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Todd Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $38,728,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. M&R Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,020 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $188,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Corton Capital Inc. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Corton Capital Inc. now owns 6,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $541,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Excalibur Management Corp boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 13,516 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Hartford Financial Management Inc. grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waterfront Wealth Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 14,613 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,363,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MS. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $91.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. HSBC boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Cfra increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. TheStreet raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $87.00 target price (down previously from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.30.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.30, for a total value of $8,730,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 350,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,555,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total value of $2,324,049.45. Following the completion of 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.30, for a total transaction of $8,730,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 350,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,555,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 237,855 shares of company stock valued at $21,084,057 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS traded up $0.99 during trading on Friday, reaching $93.64. 5,043,459 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,976,032. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $152.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.41. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $69.42 and a 1 year high of $95.57. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $90.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.87.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. 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.