Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by FineMark National Bank & Trust

FineMark National Bank & Trust cut its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 138,729 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,256 shares during the quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $19,541,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MS. Stonebrook Private Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $232,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at $70,000. Portside Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 9,373 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,320,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. First American Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. First American Trust FSB now owns 4,123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $581,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 78.5% during the second quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 142,299 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,044,000 after purchasing an additional 62,565 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $159.83 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $254.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.33. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $94.33 and a 12 month high of $171.77. 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $160.16 and its 200-day moving average is $145.77.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 41.03%.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.23.

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.