Xcel Wealth Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Xcel Wealth Management LLC cut its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 58,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 160 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises about 1.8% of Xcel Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Xcel Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $6,058,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, July 18th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating 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 company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded Morgan Stanley from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $107.56.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total transaction of $368,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at $4,549,326. This 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 is available through this hyperlink. In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total value of $368,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,549,326. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MS traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $118.29. 1,766,028 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,095,079. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The business’s 50 day moving average is $103.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.24 billion, a PE ratio of 21.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $69.42 and a one year high of $121.45.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.40%.

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.