Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Bought by Umpqua Bank

Umpqua Bank boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,039 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the quarter. Umpqua Bank’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,359,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 16.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 28,481,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,681,778,000 after purchasing an additional 3,981,528 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 600.8% during the 1st quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 1,301,835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $122,581,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116,058 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth $87,558,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 433.4% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 779,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $73,392,000 after purchasing an additional 633,319 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $43,850,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 10.1 %

NYSE MS traded up $11.88 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $129.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,931,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,008,076. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $107.61 and its 200 day moving average is $101.71. The company has a market capitalization of $210.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.34. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $73.96 and a fifty-two week high of $129.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 56.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MS. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $109.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.