Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Leuthold Group LLC

Leuthold Group LLC cut its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 67,646 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,016 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 1.1% of Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $9,529,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 48.7% in the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 9,567 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,116,000 after purchasing an additional 3,134 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 3,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 31.0% during the 1st quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 4,161 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $485,000 after buying an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFG Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 22,459 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,620,000 after buying an additional 1,846 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at $94,493,199.24. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Dbs Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $122.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.38.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $169.75 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $171.77. The company has a market capitalization of $269.79 billion, a PE ratio of 17.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $161.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.95.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.55%. The business had revenue of $17.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.88 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 41.03%.

About Morgan Stanley

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.