9,182 Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Acquired by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 370,256 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,182 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $69,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crown Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.2% in the second quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 55.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 35.7% during the 2nd quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 8,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,724,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank OZK raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank OZK now owns 1,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE:MS traded down $0.79 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $181.65. 6,016,485 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,380,605. The company has a market capitalization of $286.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $152.80 and a one year high of $232.25. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $195.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $194.31.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 15.63%. The company had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.93 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.80 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $243.00 to $195.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. UBS Group increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price (down from $250.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.81.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CNBC traders named Morgan Stanley among their “final trades,” citing strong earnings and outlooks. Morgan Stanley, Chubb and CF Industries: CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has begun using the DTCC’s tokenization service for U.S. equities and Treasuries. The move positions the bank in emerging blockchain market infrastructure, though reports provide no detail on expected revenue or near-term financial impact. What Could Morgan Stanley (MS) Tokenization Mean For Its Role In Markets?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent weakness in Morgan Stanley shares was described as part of a broad market selloff that dragged down major banks, with no company-specific news identified. The bank’s exposure to trading and dealmaking could make it sensitive if market activity cools. Morgan Stanley Sinks 6%, Goldman Down 6%, Citi Down 5% as Market Selloff Drags Wall Street Banks

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals.

Its Institutional Securities business offers services such as financial advisory, capital raising, sales and trading, and research. The company also provides financial planning, brokerage and banking services through its Wealth Management business, while its Investment Management business offers investment strategies and portfolio management to a range of clients.

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley serves clients in the United States and across international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.