Highland Capital Management LLC Has $3.94 Million Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Highland Capital Management LLC cut its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 37,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,069 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,941,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during 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 bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $116.85 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $189.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. 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 has a 1 year low of $69.42 and a 1 year high of $121.45.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Oppenheimer cut shares of Morgan Stanley from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.24.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.