Mattson Financial Services LLC Sells 213 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Mattson Financial Services LLC cut its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 33,861 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 213 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 1.1% of Mattson Financial Services LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Mattson Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,291,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 134.2% during the 3rd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 3,660 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $382,000 after buying an additional 2,097 shares in the last quarter. Axiom Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter valued at about $213,000. Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at about $272,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 330.0% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,706 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.62, for a total transaction of $106,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 95,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,225,710.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Morgan Stanley news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.06, for a total transaction of $21,012,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 150,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,759,000. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now owns 95,908 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,225,710.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 252,000 shares of company stock valued at $26,546,370. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $107.51 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $174.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.36. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $100.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.08. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $109.11.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 previous year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 7.03 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were given a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.06.

Morgan Stanley 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.