Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 123,938 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,269 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $11,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5,200.0% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 810.8% during the 3rd quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.2 %

MS stock opened at $89.92 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $88.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.81. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $69.42 and a 52 week high of $95.57. The company has a market capitalization of $146.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.87%. The firm had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.70 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 61.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on MS. Cfra lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 price target (down previously from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. TheStreet raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $97.18.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, CFO Raja Akram sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.41, for a total transaction of $393,345.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,140,842.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Morgan Stanley news, CFO Raja Akram sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.41, for a total value of $393,345.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,140,842.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.93, for a total transaction of $4,396,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 400,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,172,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 201,155 shares of company stock valued at $17,564,394. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.