Haverford Trust Co Has $3.13 Million Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Haverford Trust Co grew its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,980 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 174 shares during the quarter. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,125,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $132.75 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $110.49 and a 200-day moving average of $103.05. The company has a market cap of $213.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $76.33 and a one year high of $134.65.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.27 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 12.58%. Equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 7.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on MS. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $109.24.

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.