Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Position Increased by Magnus Financial Group LLC

Magnus Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,971 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,532 shares during the quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,631,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 115.1% in the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 357 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of MS opened at $137.90 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $129.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $222.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a PEG 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.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The firm had revenue of $16.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 46.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $104.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has an average 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.