FORVIS Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 1,442 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

FORVIS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 39.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,118 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,442 shares during the period. FORVIS Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $482,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MS. American National Bank & Trust Co. VA purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth about $402,000. FCG Investment Co purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth approximately $204,000. Oak Harvest Investment Services increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 48.6% in the 1st quarter. Oak Harvest Investment Services now owns 121,257 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,418,000 after buying an additional 39,683 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 14.7% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 31,864 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,000,000 after buying an additional 4,085 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norden Group LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2,355.6% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 138,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,041,000 after buying an additional 132,856 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded down $0.52 during trading on Friday, reaching $99.68. 92,337 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,530,100. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. The firm has a market cap of $162.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.38. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $69.42 and a 1 year high of $103.25. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $97.15 and its 200 day moving average is $92.04.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 10.88% and a net margin of 9.57%. The business had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.70 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 6.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 61.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on MS. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Cfra boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. 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, April 17th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.48.

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.