Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Position Raised by Pittenger & Anderson Inc.

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 157,988 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,928 shares during the period. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $16,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on MS. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. HSBC raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.24.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.6 %

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $116.14 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $73.96 and a fifty-two week high of $121.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $107.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $101.52. The firm has a market cap of $188.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.34.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.32%.

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.