Key Points
- Director Judith Miscik sold 2,480 Morgan Stanley shares for about $454,361, at an average price of $183.21. The sale reduced her stake by 3.72%, leaving her with 64,215 shares.
- Morgan Stanley’s latest quarter beat expectations: earnings were $3.03 per share versus a $2.93 estimate, while revenue rose 11.6% year over year to $20.34 billion.
- The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share, equivalent to $4.60 annually and a 2.5% yield. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $214.81.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) Director Judith Miscik sold 2,480 shares of the business'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 sale, the director owned 64,215 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,764,830.15. The trade was a 3.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.
Morgan Stanley Stock Performance
NYSE:MS opened at $187.55 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap 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. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $152.80 and a fifty-two week high of $232.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $194.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $194.35.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 19.26%. The firm had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.80 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current year.
Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be given 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 presently 36.51%.
Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley
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
Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley
Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Atlatl Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 55.7% during the second quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research firms have issued reports on MS. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $205.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $230.00 target price (down from $250.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $217.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $214.81.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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