Mystic Asset Management Inc. Decreases Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Mystic Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,785 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 139 shares during the period. Mystic Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $958,105,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 17.2% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,451,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,585,561,000 after acquiring an additional 5,631,435 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $512,867,000. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 16.3% during the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 28,481,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,681,778,000 after acquiring an additional 3,981,528 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focused Investors Fund L P purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth about $159,714,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.06, for a total transaction of $21,012,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 150,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,759,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Morgan Stanley news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.06, for a total transaction of $21,012,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 150,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,759,000. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.37, for a total value of $797,775.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 87,119 shares in the company, valued at $9,266,848.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 252,000 shares of company stock valued at $26,546,370 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on MS shares. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $99.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $101.73.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE:MS opened at $98.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $159.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.37. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $69.42 and a fifty-two week high of $109.11. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.33.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $15.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.32 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 7.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.40%.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.