Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Bought by Eagle Asset Management Inc.

Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 31.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,442 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,155 shares during the quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at approximately $87,558,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $43,850,000. Rokos Capital Management LLP purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth about $41,208,000. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,077,282 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $216,536,000 after acquiring an additional 343,234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 16,858.9% during the second quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 339,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,773,000 after purchasing an additional 337,347 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $133.67 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $116.83 and a 200-day moving average of $105.55. 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 52-week low of $76.33 and a 52-week high of $136.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $215.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.35, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.34.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders 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 payout ratio is 56.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $114.81.

Morgan Stanley 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.