Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Position Cut by AMG National Trust Bank

AMG National Trust Bank lowered its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 14,272 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,451 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,488,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 58.0% in the first quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 4,303 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 1,580 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 110.3% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 739 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 433.4% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 779,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $73,392,000 after acquiring an additional 633,319 shares in the last quarter. MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at approximately $573,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth approximately $257,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $133.78 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $215.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.34. The company’s fifty day moving average is $113.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $76.33 and a 12-month high of $135.51.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.31. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. The firm had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.27 billion. Equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were given a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This represents a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Hsbc Global Res raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. HSBC raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.29.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.