Morgan Stanley $MS Position Trimmed by Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD.

Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. decreased its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 50.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 529,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 539,100 shares during the quarter. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $74,533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 144.1% during the second quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 4,631 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $652,000 after purchasing an additional 2,734 shares during the period. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,683,000. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth about $290,000. AXA S.A. raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 110.6% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 553,866 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $78,018,000 after buying an additional 290,862 shares during the period. Finally, Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 5.9% during the second quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA now owns 52,820 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,440,000 after buying an additional 2,923 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE MS opened at $178.93 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $163.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $150.30. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $180.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $284.38 billion, a PE ratio of 18.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. The business had revenue of $17.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.03%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $94,493,199.24. This trade represents a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.38.

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.