Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Sells 3,780 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. reduced its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 28.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,780 shares during the quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $980,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. HSBC raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.56.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $118.08. 1,486,045 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,093,478. The company has a market cap of $191.90 billion, a PE ratio of 21.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $69.42 and a 52-week high of $121.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $103.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.57. 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.40%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total transaction of $368,375.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 43,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,549,326. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,488,718.71. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Mandell Crawley sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.25, for a total value of $368,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at $4,549,326. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.