Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Purchases 2,990 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,990 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $20,529,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 55.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Security National Bank of SO Dak purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $187.55 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $293.14 billion, a PE ratio of 14.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $194.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $194.35. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $152.80 and a 12-month high of $232.25.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Judith A. Miscik sold 2,480 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 64,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,764,830.15. The trade was a 3.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on MS. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $205.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $243.00 to $195.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $214.81.

Morgan Stanley Profile

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.