Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Purchased by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Key Points

• Commonwealth Equity Services increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 2.5% in the third quarter, adding 9,182 shares to reach 370,256 shares valued at about $69.6 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported quarterly earnings of $3.03 per share, above the $2.93 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 11.6% year over year to $20.34 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share, equivalent to a 2.5% yield. Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $214.81.

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 2.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 370,256 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 9,182 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $69,638,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $78,825,883,310. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 16,326,676 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,686,881,000 after buying an additional 87,533 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 11,206,144 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,342,532,000 after buying an additional 188,296 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 9,794,288 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,611,846,000 after buying an additional 422,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,235,756 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,190,585,000 after buying an additional 65,739 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock traded down $0.79 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $181.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,016,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,380,605. The stock has a market cap of $286.52 billion, a PE ratio of 14.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average of $195.21 and a 200 day moving average of $194.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $152.80 and a 12-month high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 15.63%. The firm had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.80 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley's revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on MS shares. HSBC upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $243.00 to $195.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Zacks Research cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective 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 given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $214.81.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CNBC traders named Morgan Stanley among their “final trades,” citing strong earnings and outlooks. Morgan Stanley, Chubb and CF Industries: CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has begun using the DTCC’s tokenization service for U.S. equities and Treasuries. The move positions the bank in emerging blockchain market infrastructure, though reports provide no detail on expected revenue or near-term financial impact. What Could Morgan Stanley (MS) Tokenization Mean For Its Role In Markets?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent weakness in Morgan Stanley shares was described as part of a broad market selloff that dragged down major banks, with no company-specific news identified. The bank’s exposure to trading and dealmaking could make it sensitive if market activity cools. Morgan Stanley Sinks 6%, Goldman Down 6%, Citi Down 5% as Market Selloff Drags Wall Street Banks

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley serves clients in the United States and across international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

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