Financial Advocates Investment Management Acquires New Stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Financial Advocates Investment Management purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,627 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $274,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The stock was 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 represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS stock opened at $116.85 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $189.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $107.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $101.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $71.65 and a 12 month high of $121.45.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.925 per share. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 56.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MS shares. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Barclays upped 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. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $109.24.

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.