Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) PT Raised to $112.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price upped by UBS Group from $102.00 to $112.00 in a research note published on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. HSBC upgraded Morgan Stanley from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $118.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. JMP Securities restated a market perform rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered Morgan Stanley from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $103.06.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.9 %

MS stock opened at $108.10 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $69.42 and a 1-year high of $109.36. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $100.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $175.68 billion, a PE ratio of 17.81, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36.

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

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st were given a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 31st. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 95,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,225,710.96. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.62, for a total transaction of $106,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 95,908 shares in the company, valued at $10,225,710.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total transaction of $4,261,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 442,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,146,293.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 252,000 shares of company stock worth $26,546,370. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Webster Bank N. A. grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 3,347 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 356 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 14.6% in the third quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,872 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,863,000 after acquiring an additional 2,281 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.4% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 105,890 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,038,000 after acquiring an additional 97,401 shares during the period. Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.1% during the third quarter. Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 12,251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,277,000 after acquiring an additional 699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.9% during the third quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 261,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,219,000 after purchasing an additional 2,453 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.