Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by First Financial Bank Trust Division

First Financial Bank Trust Division reduced its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 105 shares during the quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $443,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. DGS Capital Management LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 4,331 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares during the period. Copley Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at approximately $641,000. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth $730,000. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 20.5% in the third quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 35,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,680,000 after acquiring an additional 6,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 75.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,850,848 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $881,493,000 after acquiring an additional 3,369,520 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley 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 transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This trade represents a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS traded down $0.94 on Thursday, reaching $124.78. 4,825,560 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,964,206. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The business’s 50-day moving average is $127.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.09. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $83.09 and a fifty-two week high of $136.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.99, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.27 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 7.33 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 56.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $107.00 to $142.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $121.80.

Morgan Stanley 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.