Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.33 EPS

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33, Briefing.com reports. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 10.87% and a net margin of 9.57%. The company had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $90.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $88.82 and a 200-day moving average of $84.85. The company has a market cap of $146.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.43. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $69.42 and a one year high of $95.57.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.77%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 target price (down from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $97.79.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.93, for a total value of $4,396,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 400,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,172,000. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Morgan Stanley news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 50,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.93, for a total transaction of $4,396,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 400,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,172,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total value of $879,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 313,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,562,040.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 191,155 shares of company stock worth $16,723,094 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $106,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $104,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.5% during the 2nd quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 1,215 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $103,000. Finally, Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,020 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

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.