Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Acquired by Eads & Heald Wealth Management

Eads & Heald Wealth Management increased its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,085 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. Eads & Heald Wealth Management’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 138.1% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 115.1% during the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 357 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.3 %

MS opened at $137.42 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $221.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $129.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.03. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $83.09 and a fifty-two week high of $138.08.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.68. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The business had revenue of $16.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.32 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $104.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 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, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $131.27.

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.