Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $171.77 and last traded at $170.9160, with a volume of 1187600 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $166.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $122.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.23.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 2.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $270.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.33. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $158.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.13.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. The firm had revenue of $18.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.55% and a net margin of 13.85%.The company’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. Research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.03%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.4% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 28,850 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,366,000 after buying an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 25,826 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,013,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 32,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,781,000 after purchasing an additional 2,592 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% 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.