Morgan Stanley Announces Quarterly Dividend of $1.00 (NYSE:MS)

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, with an ex-dividend date set for October 31st and payment on November 14th, resulting in a 2.5% yield for shareholders.
• The financial services provider exceeded earnings expectations by reporting $2.80 earnings per share for the most recent quarter, against consensus estimates of $2.07, and achieved a year-over-year revenue increase of 18.5% to $18.22 billion.
• Analysts have been optimistic about Morgan Stanley, with several raising their target prices; the average target price is currently $154.85, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be given a dividend of 1.00 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, November 14th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st.

Morgan Stanley has a dividend payout ratio of 39.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Morgan Stanley to earn $9.43 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.70 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 39.2%.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS opened at $161.91 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $258.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.32. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $94.33 and a fifty-two week high of $166.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The business's 50-day moving average is $152.60 and its 200-day moving average is $136.38.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The company had revenue of $18.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.85.

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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