Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Insider Charles A. Smith Sells 20,000 Shares

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 119,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,729,231.70. This represents a 14.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS traded down $0.10 on Friday, reaching $140.80. The stock had a trading volume of 5,572,318 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,580,971. The company has a market cap 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. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $90.94 and a 1-year high of $145.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $134.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $127.23.

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

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is an increase 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 is Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.30%.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 50.0% during the first quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Nine investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $138.25.

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.