Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by SkyOak Wealth LLC

SkyOak Wealth LLC lessened its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 814 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up about 1.0% of SkyOak Wealth LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. SkyOak Wealth LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $4,332,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% in the 2nd 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 position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $99.88 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $100.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.59. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $69.42 and a one year high of $109.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.32 billion, a PE ratio of 18.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.24 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 7.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, July 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut Morgan Stanley from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $101.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.06, for a total value of $21,012,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 150,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,759,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Morgan Stanley news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.06, for a total value of $21,012,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 150,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,759,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.62, for a total value of $106,620.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 95,908 shares in the company, valued at $10,225,710.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 252,000 shares of company stock valued at $26,546,370 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.