Highland Capital Management LLC Sells 2,069 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Highland Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 37,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,069 shares during the quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth about $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 boosted 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 purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. HSBC raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.24.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.9 %

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $116.85 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $121.45. The company has a market capitalization of $189.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $105.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $100.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.