J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC Cuts Position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 199,926 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 586 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises 3.4% of J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding. J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $20,840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Bayesian Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth about $2,660,000. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 17.8% in the second quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $561,000 after acquiring an additional 871 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,711,805 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $491,159,000 after acquiring an additional 36,120 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 115.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 223,668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,305,000 after acquiring an additional 119,633 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth approximately $87,558,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $128.42 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $73.96 and a 52 week high of $133.52. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $108.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $101.92. The firm has a market cap of $208.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors 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 yield of 2.88%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 56.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. HSBC raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.24.

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.