Greystone Financial Group LLC Acquires 16,700 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Greystone Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 17.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 113,273 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 16,700 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises 2.1% of Greystone Financial Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Greystone Financial Group LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $11,808,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MS. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.3% in the third 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. Viewpoint Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.9% in the second quarter. Viewpoint Capital Management LLC now owns 12,319 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,197,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.3% in the third quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,551 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 24.4% in the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 541 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.8% in the third quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,893 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley 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 value of $368,375.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,224 shares of the company's stock, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the company'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 transaction, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,488,718.71. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the company'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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at $4,549,326. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MS shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $109.24.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.89 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $119.17. The company had a trading volume of 5,596,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,093,846. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $104.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.88. 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 firm has a market cap of $193.67 billion, a PE ratio of 21.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $69.42 and a fifty-two week high of $121.45.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.40%.

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.