Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Director Judith Miscik Sells 2,480 Shares of Stock

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Director Judith Miscik sold 2,480 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.21, for a total value of $454,360.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 64,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,764,830.15. This trade represents a 3.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.2%

MS traded up $0.45 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $187.55. 4,181,567 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,227,868. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $295.81 billion, a PE ratio of 14.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $194.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $194.33. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $152.80 and a 1 year high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 19.40%. The company had revenue of $20.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MS. Citigroup cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $243.00 to $195.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 15th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective (down from $250.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $214.81.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley will add Vinyl Equity’s digital transfer-agent and shareholder-recordkeeping services to its Morgan Stanley at Work platform. The deal could let the firm support companies and shareholders across private-to-public transitions, deepen client relationships, and create opportunities to win more wealth-management assets as employees and founders monetize equity. Deal terms were not disclosed. Morgan Stanley to Acquire Digital-Native Transfer Agent Vinyl Equity
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s market strategists have said the recent S&P 500 correction may be nearing its end, while cautioning that markets could still fall further. This could inform overall risk appetite, but is not a direct change to the company’s outlook. Morgan Stanley strategist on the market correction
• Neutral Sentiment: A report says Morgan Stanley is reducing exposure to data-center construction loans as some financing shifts to private-credit providers. The move may limit direct lending exposure, but the article does not quantify the financial impact. Morgan Stanley trims data-center loan exposure

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 143.4% during the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Atlatl Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 55.7% in the second quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Security National Bank of SO Dak purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

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.