Investors Research Corp Sells 2,466 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Investors Research Corp reduced its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 19.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,950 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,466 shares during the period. Investors Research Corp’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,037,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% in the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the third quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.7 %

MS traded up $2.27 on Thursday, hitting $133.96. 386,814 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,052,479. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.81 billion, a PE ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.34. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $76.33 and a 12 month high of $135.51.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.27 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 12.58%. Sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.76%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 56.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MS. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $107.00 to $142.00 in a research note on Friday, November 15th. UBS Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $112.94.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,488,718.71. This represents a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Morgan Stanley

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.