5,252 Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. lessened its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 195,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,252 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $36,700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MS. StoneX Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 24,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,556,000 after acquiring an additional 2,181 shares during the period. Ethos Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,956,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 967,417 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $181,994,000 after purchasing an additional 48,002 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 7,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,376,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, United Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.4%

MS stock opened at $181.65 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $152.80 and a 52 week high of $232.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $195.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $194.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $286.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 19.40%. The firm had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.80 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CNBC traders named Morgan Stanley among their “final trades,” citing strong earnings and outlooks. Morgan Stanley, Chubb and CF Industries: CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has begun using the DTCC’s tokenization service for U.S. equities and Treasuries. The move positions the bank in emerging blockchain market infrastructure, though reports provide no detail on expected revenue or near-term financial impact. What Could Morgan Stanley (MS) Tokenization Mean For Its Role In Markets?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent weakness in Morgan Stanley shares was described as part of a broad market selloff that dragged down major banks, with no company-specific news identified. The bank’s exposure to trading and dealmaking could make it sensitive if market activity cools. Morgan Stanley Sinks 6%, Goldman Down 6%, Citi Down 5% as Market Selloff Drags Wall Street Banks

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. Erste Group Bank lowered Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Zacks Research cut Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. HSBC increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $214.81.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals.

Its Institutional Securities business offers services such as financial advisory, capital raising, sales and trading, and research. The company also provides financial planning, brokerage and banking services through its Wealth Management business, while its Investment Management business offers investment strategies and portfolio management to a range of clients.

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley serves clients in the United States and across international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.