Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Raises Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 18.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,061 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,432 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,030,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded down $0.04 on Wednesday, reaching $118.28. 4,879,776 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,101,061. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $69.42 and a 1-year high of $121.45. The company has a market cap of $192.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. 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's 50 day moving average price is $104.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.88.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $368,375.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 43,224 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,549,326. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on MS shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.56.

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.