AM Investment Strategies LLC Grows Stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

AM Investment Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,692 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. AM Investment Strategies LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,157,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the third quarter worth $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth about $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MS. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.24.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $116.85. The company had a trading volume of 4,372,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,050,190. The company has a market capitalization of $189.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.36. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $71.65 and a 12-month high of $121.45. The company’s fifty day moving average is $107.02 and its 200-day moving average is $101.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.32%.

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.