Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Acquired by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 4.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,607,923 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 64,999 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.10% of Morgan Stanley worth $167,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. CX Institutional grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 6,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 21,685 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,108,000 after buying an additional 386 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $232,000. Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 18.2% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,150,000 after acquiring an additional 3,405 shares during the period. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 25.1% during the second quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 2,991 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.3 %

MS opened at $130.33 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $209.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.84, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.35. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $121.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.21. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $79.32 and a 52 week high of $136.24. 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 (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.27 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 12.58%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 7.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 56.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $107.00 to $142.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Barclays increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. HSBC lowered 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 research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $120.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. This represents a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.