Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund lowered its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 6.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,498,503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 103,104 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $156,204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 31,849 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,972 shares in the last quarter. Lincluden Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.3% in the third quarter. Lincluden Management Ltd. now owns 44,857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,676,000 after buying an additional 562 shares during the last quarter. Aspen Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth approximately $133,000. Finally, Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 324,476 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,823,000 after acquiring an additional 2,834 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MS. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $109.24.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This trade 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 this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of MS traded up $1.17 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $117.42. 223,760 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,030,623. The company has a market cap of $190.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.97. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $71.65 and a 12-month 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.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.