Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $98.99 and last traded at $98.99, with a volume of 2904 shares. The stock had previously closed at $98.28.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MS. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Cfra raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $98.30.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MS
Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.3 %
The company's 50 day simple moving average is $91.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $86.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $160.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.41.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.88%. The firm had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 61.93%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley
In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total value of $9,021,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 414,870 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,425,422.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total value of $9,021,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 414,870 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,425,422.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $1,009,008.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 126,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,368,457.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,553 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $994,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.9% during the first quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH now owns 3,131 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 1,283 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $121,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 1,341 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Morgan Stanley
(
Get Free Report)
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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