Washburn Capital Management Inc. Sells 896 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Washburn Capital Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 13.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 896 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 0.4% of Washburn Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Washburn Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $592,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. HSBC upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.24.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE MS traded up $1.77 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $118.65. 634,700 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,063,650. The stock has a market cap of $192.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 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 has a one year low of $69.42 and a one year high of $121.45. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.28.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 56.32%.

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.