Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $172.09 and last traded at $172.18, with a volume of 2393605 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.09.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on MS. Citigroup raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. 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 report on Wednesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.38.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $161.65 and a 200-day moving average of $148.59. The stock has a market cap of $274.00 billion, a PE ratio of 17.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The business had revenue of $17.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 41.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.