Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Bought by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 430,516 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,774 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $44,877,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% in the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS stock traded down $2.78 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $118.28. 7,175,682 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,119,892. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $103.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $69.42 and a 1-year high of $121.45. The firm has a market cap of $192.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.54, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 67.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MS. HSBC raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $118.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. UBS Group increased their target price 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. Barclays increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total transaction of $368,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,549,326. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total value of $368,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at $4,549,326. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

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.