Aljian Capital Management LLC Takes Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Aljian Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 5,734 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $598,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,711,805 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $491,159,000 after buying an additional 36,120 shares during the period. Bayesian Capital Management LP bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth $2,660,000. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 17.8% during the second quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,768 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $561,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 115.0% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 223,668 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,305,000 after purchasing an additional 119,633 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at about $87,558,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. HSBC upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $118.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $111.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. This represents a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.2 %

Morgan Stanley stock traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $133.78. The stock had a trading volume of 6,356,395 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,090,143. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $113.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $104.22. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $76.33 and a one year high of $135.51. The stock has a market cap of $215.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.31. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 12.58%. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.27 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 7.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were given a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.32%.

Morgan Stanley Profile

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.