Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Position Lifted by BluePath Capital Management LLC

BluePath Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,952 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,352 shares during the quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. HCR Wealth Advisors increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors now owns 28,784 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,619,000 after acquiring an additional 2,978 shares during the period. Brave Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $214,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 1,709 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares during the period. Rockingstone Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $216,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 5,368 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 5.2 %

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $131.08 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $83.09 and a 1 year high of $136.24. The company has a market cap of $211.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.36. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $128.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.02.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on MS. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. HSBC downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $128.00 to $131.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $126.07.

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.