Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) CFO Sells $3,576,759.23 in Stock

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 25,583 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.81, for a total value of $3,576,759.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,988,234.22. The trade was a 16.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE:MS traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $140.80. 5,572,318 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,580,971. The firm has a market cap of $225.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.30. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $90.94 and a 52 week high of $145.16. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $134.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.33% and a net margin of 13.06%. The business had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 45.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on MS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $138.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 108.7% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 8,393 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,055,000 after acquiring an additional 4,372 shares in the last quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $230,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $98,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 228.9% during the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 6,926 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $871,000 after acquiring an additional 4,820 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

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.