Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Position Increased by LGT Capital Partners LTD.

LGT Capital Partners LTD. boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 9.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 663,540 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 59,420 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises about 2.4% of LGT Capital Partners LTD.'s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. LGT Capital Partners LTD.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $69,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MS. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 3,748 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $391,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 3.3% in the third quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 3,063 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $319,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. TFB Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. TFB Advisors LLC now owns 2,662 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $277,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA now owns 33,850 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,529,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Lansing Street Advisors boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 0.8% during the third quarter. Lansing Street Advisors now owns 12,284 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:MS traded down $1.05 on Tuesday, reaching $132.73. The stock had a trading volume of 4,351,530 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,077,921. The firm's fifty day moving average is $113.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $213.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.34. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $76.33 and a 12-month high of $135.51.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were issued a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.79%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 56.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. HSBC upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $118.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Morgan Stanley from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $107.00 to $142.00 in a research note on Friday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.29.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the business'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 transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.