IFM Investors Pty Ltd Reduces Holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 248,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,776 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $25,896,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on MS. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Hsbc Global Res raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, HSBC raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.24.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE MS traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $118.40. 1,910,271 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,075,336. The company has a 50 day moving average of $104.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $69.42 and a 52-week high of $121.45. The firm has a market cap of $192.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.53, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.40%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total value of $368,375.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,549,326. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total value of $368,375.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,549,326. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.