Maple Capital Management Inc. Has $33.27 Million Stake in Morgan Stanley $MS

Maple Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 5.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 236,161 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 12,730 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up 2.3% of Maple Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Maple Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $33,266,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,514,000. Tobam bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.7% in the second quarter. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd now owns 2,268 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Central Asset Investments & Management Holdings HK Ltd lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 92.2% in the second quarter. Central Asset Investments & Management Holdings HK Ltd now owns 5,230 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $737,000 after purchasing an additional 2,509 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 273.6% in the second quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,799,625 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $253,496,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,905 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. This trade represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $166.41 on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $167.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $158.75 and a 200-day moving average of $144.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $264.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.33.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.55% and a net margin of 13.85%.The business had revenue of $18.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $122.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.23.

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.