Nixon Peabody Trust Co. Sells 687 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Nixon Peabody Trust Co. trimmed its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 116,999 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 687 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up 1.3% of Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $16,480,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 49.1% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 4,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 1,410 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 78.4% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 7,637 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $891,000 after buying an additional 3,355 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $235,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 16,423 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,916,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 2.6%

MS opened at $165.52 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $159.48 and a 200-day moving average of $144.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $263.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $171.77.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. The company had revenue of $17.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.55%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.88 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 41.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.23.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.19% 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.