Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Brooklyn Investment Group

Brooklyn Investment Group trimmed its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,637 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 86 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises approximately 1.1% of Brooklyn Investment Group’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Brooklyn Investment Group’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,600,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 15,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,939,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 78.0% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 14,158 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,780,000 after acquiring an additional 6,204 shares in the last quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 142,387 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,901,000 after acquiring an additional 24,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 3,035 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $382,000 after acquiring an additional 416 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.40.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $137.78 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $83.09 and a 12 month high of $138.08. The company has a market cap of $221.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.31.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.31. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.27 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 7.39 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.60%.

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.