Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Bought by Avitas Wealth Management LLC

Avitas Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 77,570 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up 1.1% of Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $7,539,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $25,000. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $1.33 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $101.89. 3,803,513 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,422,925. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $69.42 and a twelve month high of $109.11. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.77. The company has a market cap of $165.59 billion, a PE ratio of 18.56, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were given a $0.925 dividend. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Oppenheimer lowered Morgan Stanley from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $101.45.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total transaction of $4,261,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 442,522 shares in the company, valued at $47,146,293.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 442,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,146,293.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.06, for a total value of $21,012,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 150,000 shares in the company, valued at $15,759,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 252,000 shares of company stock worth $26,546,370. 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.