Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Purchased by Webster Bank N. A.

Webster Bank N. A. increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 25.1% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,991 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $94.72. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,542,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,594,498. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $99.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.95. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $109.11. The company has a market capitalization of $153.94 billion, a PE ratio of 17.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.38.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $15.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.32 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 11.90%. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.24 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.91%. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total value of $692,687.94. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 46,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,609,353.14. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total transaction of $4,261,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 442,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,146,293.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total value of $692,687.94. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,609,353.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 258,954 shares of company stock valued at $27,239,058. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Bank of America increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $99.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $101.45.

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.