Modera Wealth Management LLC Buys 410 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MS. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. 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, October 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.24.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.9 %

MS opened at $119.13 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $69.42 and a twelve month high of $121.45. The firm has a market cap of $193.61 billion, a PE ratio of 18.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $105.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.51.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 56.32%.

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.