Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by AGF Management Ltd.

AGF Management Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 363,559 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 84,319 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $35,334,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the second 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 during the period. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $97.03 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $69.42 and a 12-month high of $109.11. The stock has a market cap of $157.69 billion, a PE ratio of 17.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The company has a 50-day moving average of $100.65 and a 200 day moving average of $96.16.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.17. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The company had revenue of $15.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 7.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.40%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.62, for a total value of $106,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 95,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,225,710.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total value of $4,261,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 442,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,146,293.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.62, for a total transaction of $106,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 95,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,225,710.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 252,000 shares of company stock valued at $26,546,370. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $99.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $101.73.

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.