Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Director Stephen J. Luczo Sells 60,000 Shares

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,488,718.71. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $1.63 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $121.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,852,318 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,119,605. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $121.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $102.86 and a 200 day moving average of $99.10. The company has a market capitalization of $196.76 billion, a PE ratio of 21.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.17. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 10.17%. The company had revenue of $15.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.40%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MS. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.56.

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.