Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Purchased by Asset Dedication LLC

Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,472 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC increased 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 in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $26,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $30,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the topic of a number of research reports. HSBC raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Evercore ISI raised their price target 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, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” 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 given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.06.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total value of $368,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at $4,549,326. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $119.52 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $102.36 and a 200-day moving average of $98.96. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $69.42 and a 52-week high of $121.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $194.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.77, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.32 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 6.95 EPS for the current year.

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.