Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Granite Group Advisors LLC

Granite Group Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,174 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 440 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 1.4% of Granite Group Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Granite Group Advisors LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,207,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $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 during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the topic of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $109.24.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.1 %

MS stock traded up $0.12 on Friday, hitting $128.56. 634,781 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,072,685. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $208.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.34. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $73.96 and a twelve month high of $133.52. The business’s fifty day moving average is $108.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.92.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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 $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.32%.

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.