Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Holdings Trimmed by Investors Research Corp

Investors Research Corp lessened its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 19.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,950 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,466 shares during the period. Investors Research Corp’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,037,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 600.8% in the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 1,301,835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $122,581,000 after purchasing an additional 1,116,058 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth about $87,558,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth approximately $43,850,000. Rokos Capital Management LLP bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth $41,208,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth about $33,683,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $2.27 on Thursday, hitting $133.96. The stock had a trading volume of 386,814 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,052,479. The stock has a market cap of $215.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $76.33 and a twelve month high of $135.51. The business’s 50 day moving average is $114.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.68.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.31. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. The firm had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.27 billion. Analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 7.32 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were given a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.76%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 56.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,488,718.71. This trade represents a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on MS shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $107.00 to $142.00 in a research report on Friday, November 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. HSBC upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $112.94.

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.