Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Director Judith Miscik Sells 2,480 Shares of Company Stock

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Director Judith Miscik sold 2,480 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.21, for a total value of $454,360.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 64,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,764,830.15. The trade was a 3.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $187.55 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $194.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $194.35. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $152.80 and a 1 year high of $232.25. The company has a market capitalization of $293.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.26% and a net margin of 15.63%. The firm had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 36.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crown Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.2% in the second quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 55.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 35.7% in the 2nd quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.6% in the second quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 8,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,724,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank OZK grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.0% during the second quarter. Bank OZK now owns 1,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MS. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $250.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $217.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.81.

More Morgan Stanley News

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s Vinyl Equity acquisition would add digital share-transfer and shareholder-recordkeeping capabilities, connecting companies’ equity administration needs with the firm’s workplace and wealth-management services. The strategic rationale is to deepen relationships with private companies and potentially retain more client assets through IPO transitions. Morgan Stanley to Acquire Digital-Native Transfer Agent Vinyl Equity
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley strategist Mike Wilson said the recent market correction may be nearing its end, while advising investors to remain selective. A market rebound could support trading and investment-banking activity, but this is a broad-market view rather than a company-specific forecast. Morgan Stanley strategist on market correction
• Negative Sentiment: Director Judith A. Miscik disclosed selling 2,480 Morgan Stanley shares for about $454,000, reducing her holdings by 3.72%. The sale may weigh slightly on sentiment, though its size is limited relative to her remaining stake. SEC filing of director share sale

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. Its Institutional Securities business offers services such as financial advisory, capital raising, sales and trading, and research. The company also provides financial planning, brokerage and banking services through its Wealth Management business, while its Investment Management business offers investment strategies and portfolio management to a range of clients.