Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 5.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 317,239 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 17,036 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $33,069,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Several research analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. HSBC raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $118.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Oppenheimer cut shares of Morgan Stanley from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $109.24.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Morgan Stanley
In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Shares of NYSE MS opened at $116.14 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $73.96 and a 1 year high of $121.45. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $107.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.52. The firm has a market cap of $188.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.32%.
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.
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider Morgan Stanley, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Morgan Stanley wasn't on the list.
While Morgan Stanley currently has a "Hold" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.