Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Insigneo Advisory Services LLC

Insigneo Advisory Services LLC reduced its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,275 shares during the period. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,350,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 138.1% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $129.90 on Friday. 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 12-month low of $79.62 and a 12-month high of $136.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.27 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.35. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $121.49 and its 200-day moving average is $107.21.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.27 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $107.00 to $142.00 in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $121.80.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other 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 transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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.