Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Sees Strong Trading Volume After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. 2,864,158 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 55% from the previous session’s volume of 6,384,238 shares.The stock last traded at $132.54 and had previously closed at $130.55.

The financial services provider reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.31. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.27 billion.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 46.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $104.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. HSBC cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price target for the company from $128.00 to $131.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $129.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $217,000. Veracity Capital LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 2,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $340,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the period. Donoghue Forlines LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,544,000. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $202,000. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,107,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $221.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s fifty day moving average is $128.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.31.

About Morgan Stanley

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.