Albion Financial Group UT Trims Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Albion Financial Group UT cut its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,188 shares during the period. Albion Financial Group UT’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $8,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MS. Advisory Alpha LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,577 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. West Branch Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 300.9% in the 4th quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 1,295 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 972 shares during the last quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 7,085 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $891,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. XML Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $328,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 590,347 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,218,000 after buying an additional 45,201 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $137.42 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. 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. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $83.09 and a 52-week high of $138.08. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $129.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.30.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.68. The company had revenue of $16.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.03 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors 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 yield of 2.69%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 46.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. HSBC downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $128.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $131.27.

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.