231,037 Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 96.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,703 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 231,037 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $78,825,883,310. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 16,326,676 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,686,881,000 after buying an additional 87,533 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.7% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 11,206,144 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,342,532,000 after buying an additional 188,296 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth approximately $2,040,227,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.9% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,235,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,190,585,000 after buying an additional 65,739 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $217.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.81.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: CNBC traders named Morgan Stanley among their “final trades,” citing strong earnings and outlooks. Morgan Stanley, Chubb and CF Industries: CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has begun using the DTCC’s tokenization service for U.S. equities and Treasuries. The move positions the bank in emerging blockchain market infrastructure, though reports provide no detail on expected revenue or near-term financial impact. What Could Morgan Stanley (MS) Tokenization Mean For Its Role In Markets?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent weakness in Morgan Stanley shares was described as part of a broad market selloff that dragged down major banks, with no company-specific news identified. The bank’s exposure to trading and dealmaking could make it sensitive if market activity cools. Morgan Stanley Sinks 6%, Goldman Down 6%, Citi Down 5% as Market Selloff Drags Wall Street Banks

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MS opened at $181.65 on Monday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $152.80 and a 12-month high of $232.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $286.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $195.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $194.31.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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

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.

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley serves clients in the United States and across international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.