StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Rating) in a research note released on Thursday. The firm issued a hold rating on the financial services provider’s stock.
A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on MS. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 18th. Wolfe Research downgraded Morgan Stanley from an outperform rating to an underperform rating and set a $92.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, January 4th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $90.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 18th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $97.28.
Morgan Stanley Trading Down 3.3 %
NYSE:MS opened at $84.18 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $95.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.87. The company has a market capitalization of $141.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $72.05 and a 52-week high of $100.99.
Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.775 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 30th. This represents a $3.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.68%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.49%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CEO James P. Gorman sold 250,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.93, for a total transaction of $24,232,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,112,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $107,819,891.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 44,910 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.05, for a total value of $4,358,515.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 348,531 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,824,933.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James P. Gorman sold 250,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.93, for a total value of $24,232,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,112,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $107,819,891.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 341,699 shares of company stock valued at $33,143,046. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley
A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MS. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $956,566,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 125,756.8% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,641,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $904,714,000 after purchasing an additional 10,632,735 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 68.9% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,416,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,455,083,000 after purchasing an additional 7,514,505 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at $451,711,000. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 123.3% in the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 3,183,121 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $251,546,000 after purchasing an additional 1,757,682 shares during the period. 83.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley operates as a global financial services company. The firm provides investment banking products and services to its clients and customers including corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. It operates through the following segments: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management.
Further Reading
- Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Morgan Stanley (MS)
- MarketBeat Week in Review – 3/13 – 3/17
- This Small Tech With Big Growth Prospects Is Nearing A Buy Point
- Don’t Chase FedEx Higher, Wait For The Pullback
- 3 Stocks For A Defensive Tech Portfolio
- Milk the Dividends on These 3 Cash Cows
Receive News & Ratings for Morgan Stanley Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Morgan Stanley and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
