JMP Securities Reiterates “Market Perform” Rating for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

JMP Securities reissued their market perform rating on shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating and issued a $91.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $97.79.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $90.23 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.43. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $69.42 and a 1 year high of $95.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $88.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.85.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.87%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.70 EPS. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 6.53 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.77%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total transaction of $879,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 313,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,562,040.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total transaction of $879,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 313,490 shares in the company, valued at $27,562,040.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 50,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.93, for a total transaction of $4,396,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 400,000 shares in the company, valued at $35,172,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 191,155 shares of company stock worth $16,723,094. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 5,200.0% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 77.3% during the third quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 810.8% in the third quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently 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.