Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stake Reduced by SkyOak Wealth LLC

SkyOak Wealth LLC reduced its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 44,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 814 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up about 1.0% of SkyOak Wealth LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. SkyOak Wealth LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $4,332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $99.88 on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $109.11. The company has a market cap of $162.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $100.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $96.59.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.17. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 10.17%. The business had revenue of $15.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 7.03 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st were paid a $0.925 dividend. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.62, for a total value of $106,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 95,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,225,710.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.62, for a total value of $106,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 95,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,225,710.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total value of $4,261,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 442,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,146,293.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 252,000 shares of company stock valued at $26,546,370. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $101.73.

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.