Ethic Inc. Sells 5,252 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Ethic Inc. lowered its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 195,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,252 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $36,700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crown Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.2% in the second quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 55.7% during the second quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 35.7% during the second quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 0.6% during the second quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 8,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,724,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank OZK grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank OZK now owns 1,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CNBC traders named Morgan Stanley among their “final trades,” citing strong earnings and outlooks. Morgan Stanley, Chubb and CF Industries: CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has begun using the DTCC’s tokenization service for U.S. equities and Treasuries. The move positions the bank in emerging blockchain market infrastructure, though reports provide no detail on expected revenue or near-term financial impact. What Could Morgan Stanley (MS) Tokenization Mean For Its Role In Markets?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent weakness in Morgan Stanley shares was described as part of a broad market selloff that dragged down major banks, with no company-specific news identified. The bank’s exposure to trading and dealmaking could make it sensitive if market activity cools. Morgan Stanley Sinks 6%, Goldman Down 6%, Citi Down 5% as Market Selloff Drags Wall Street Banks

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE MS opened at $181.65 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $195.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $194.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The firm has a market cap of $286.52 billion, a PE ratio of 14.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $152.80 and a 52 week high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 19.40%. The firm had revenue of $20.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 36.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 19th. UBS Group upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 price target (down from $250.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $217.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.81.

Morgan Stanley Profile

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals.

Its Institutional Securities business offers services such as financial advisory, capital raising, sales and trading, and research. The company also provides financial planning, brokerage and banking services through its Wealth Management business, while its Investment Management business offers investment strategies and portfolio management to a range of clients.

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley serves clients in the United States and across international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.