Forum Financial Management LP Sells 3,215 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Forum Financial Management LP decreased its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,040 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,215 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $4,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 34.3% in the 1st quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,869 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,785,000 after purchasing an additional 6,092 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter valued at $57,000. AGF Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 55.9% during the 1st quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 327,978 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $38,265,000 after acquiring an additional 117,615 shares in the last quarter. Tlwm boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Tlwm now owns 13,863 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,617,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alley Investment Management Company LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 75.0% during the 1st quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 62,469 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,288,000 after acquiring an additional 26,763 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS stock opened at $157.99 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $252.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The business has a 50 day moving average of $154.09 and a 200-day moving average of $138.03. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $166.77.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.55% and a net margin of 13.85%.The company had revenue of $18.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.88 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $168.23.

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.

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