Bleakley Financial Group LLC Has $2.87 Million Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,543 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,042 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,871,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA now owns 33,850 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,529,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Viewpoint Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.9% in the second quarter. Viewpoint Capital Management LLC now owns 12,319 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,197,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.3% in the third quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 24.4% during the 2nd quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 541 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,893 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,344,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:MS opened at $121.07 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $103.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.29. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $69.42 and a 1 year high of $121.45. 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 stock has a market cap of $196.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.05, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $15.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.32 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 10.17%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 67.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $107.56.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total transaction of $368,375.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,549,326. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.