180 Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

180 Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,191 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MS. Bouvel Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.9% in the first quarter. Bouvel Investment Partners LLC now owns 25,873 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,436,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 939,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,422,000 after purchasing an additional 35,114 shares during the period. Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter valued at about $312,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at about $223,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 53.2% in the first quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 3,607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $340,000 after buying an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total value of $9,021,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 414,870 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,425,422.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total value of $9,021,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 414,870 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,425,422.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $1,009,008.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 126,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,368,457.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 118,154 shares of company stock worth $10,722,696. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.5 %

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $97.21 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $103.25. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. The firm has a market cap of $157.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.71, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.38.

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. The company had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 10.88% and a net margin of 9.57%. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 6.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on MS shares. HSBC lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.30.

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.