Morgan Stanley Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:MS)

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Investors acquired 37,411 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 39% compared to the average volume of 26,873 call options.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS traded up $3.45 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $134.00. 9,208,198 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,002,846. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.36. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $83.09 and a 1 year high of $136.24. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.27 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 12.58%. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 7.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MS. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 79,624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,010,000 after purchasing an additional 26,182 shares during the period. Maltin Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $224,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,074 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $750,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 6,386 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $803,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J2 Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $522,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. Citigroup boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $107.00 to $142.00 in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $126.07.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.