Morgan Stanley $MS Stock Holdings Lifted by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 20.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 154,276 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 25,668 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $29,016,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Partners Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 115.1% in the 3rd quarter. Partners Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,079 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,143,000 after purchasing an additional 3,253 shares in the last quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth approximately $8,854,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 279,622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,452,000 after purchasing an additional 30,010 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 201.0% in the first quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,559 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,890,000 after buying an additional 11,726 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 10.9% in the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 294,047 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $61,468,000 after buying an additional 28,877 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $181.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $195.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $194.31. The stock has a market cap of $286.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.42, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $152.80 and a 1-year high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 15.63%. The business had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.80 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CNBC traders named Morgan Stanley among their “final trades,” citing strong earnings and outlooks. Morgan Stanley, Chubb and CF Industries: CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has begun using the DTCC’s tokenization service for U.S. equities and Treasuries. The move positions the bank in emerging blockchain market infrastructure, though reports provide no detail on expected revenue or near-term financial impact. What Could Morgan Stanley (MS) Tokenization Mean For Its Role In Markets?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent weakness in Morgan Stanley shares was described as part of a broad market selloff that dragged down major banks, with no company-specific news identified. The bank’s exposure to trading and dealmaking could make it sensitive if market activity cools. Morgan Stanley Sinks 6%, Goldman Down 6%, Citi Down 5% as Market Selloff Drags Wall Street Banks

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $205.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.81.

Morgan Stanley Profile

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals.

Its Institutional Securities business offers services such as financial advisory, capital raising, sales and trading, and research. The company also provides financial planning, brokerage and banking services through its Wealth Management business, while its Investment Management business offers investment strategies and portfolio management to a range of clients.

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley serves clients in the United States and across international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.