Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Sold by Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc.

Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 32,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 266 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises approximately 2.1% of Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS traded up $2.38 on Friday, hitting $110.46. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,826,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,027,333. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $101.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.47. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $69.42 and a fifty-two week high of $111.47. The company has a market capitalization of $179.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.20, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $15.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.32 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 10.17%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $0.925 per share. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 60.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on MS shares. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total value of $4,261,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 442,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,146,293.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total transaction of $4,261,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 442,522 shares in the company, valued at $47,146,293.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.37, for a total transaction of $797,775.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 87,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,266,848.03. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 252,000 shares of company stock worth $26,546,370 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.