Lake Street Advisors Group LLC Has $2.41 Million Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Lake Street Advisors Group LLC decreased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 34.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,088 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 12,274 shares during the quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,407,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Morgan Stanley stock traded down $2.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $116.85. 7,270,466 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,094,703. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $69.42 and a one year high of $121.45. The company has a market cap of $189.90 billion, a PE ratio of 21.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $105.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $100.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96.

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 issued a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 67.40%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. HSBC raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $118.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a 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 assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $109.24.

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.