Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC Decreases Stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC lowered its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 211,480 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,649 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for 1.4% of Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $22,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $119.17 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $104.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The company has a market cap of $193.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $69.42 and a twelve month high of $121.45.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.40%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. HSBC upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $109.24.

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.