Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by White Pine Investment CO

White Pine Investment CO cut its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63,955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,332 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up about 1.8% of White Pine Investment CO’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. White Pine Investment CO’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $6,667,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% in the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.24.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $116.85 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $71.65 and a 52 week high of $121.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $101.26. The firm has a market cap of $189.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.34.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 56.32%.

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.