Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Acropolis Investment Management LLC

Acropolis Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,635 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Acropolis Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,343,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MS. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 22.4% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 29,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,684,000 after purchasing an additional 5,368 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 2,784 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 452 shares during the period. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $879,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 22,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,858,000 after acquiring an additional 545 shares during the period. Finally, Community Trust & Investment Co. raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co. now owns 33,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,166,000 after acquiring an additional 714 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS stock opened at $124.66 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The company has a market capitalization of $200.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.97, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.02. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $83.09 and a twelve month high of $136.24.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.27 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 12.58%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 7.33 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $104.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. HSBC lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $128.00 to $131.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $126.07.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. This represents a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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.