Insider Selling: Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Insider Sells 43,566 Shares of Stock

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 43,566 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.97, for a total value of $6,141,499.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 294,250 shares in the company, valued at $41,480,422.50. This trade represents a 12.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of MS stock traded down $0.10 on Friday, reaching $140.80. 5,572,318 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,580,971. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $90.94 and a 12-month high of $145.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $225.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.30. The business's 50 day moving average price is $134.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.82 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.30%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has approved a share buyback program 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 repurchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $138.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 108.7% in the fourth 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 during the period. ProVise Management Group LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth about $230,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth about $98,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings 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 worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 4,820 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Morgan Stanley

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.