Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Holdings Trimmed by Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,036 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC increased its stake in 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 acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth about $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MS. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. HSBC raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. 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. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.24.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS opened at $116.85 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $105.03 and a 200-day moving average of $100.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $69.42 and a 52-week high of $121.45. The company has a market cap of $189.90 billion, a PE ratio of 21.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.40%.

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.