Morgan Stanley Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:MS)

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders bought 48,128 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 9% compared to the average volume of 44,333 call options.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total value of $2,324,049.45. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 286,835 shares in the company, valued at $25,009,143.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Morgan Stanley news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.30, for a total transaction of $8,730,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 350,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,555,000. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total transaction of $2,324,049.45. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 286,835 shares in the company, valued at $25,009,143.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 208,155 shares of company stock worth $18,149,314. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 5,200.0% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 target price (down from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $91.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $95.66.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $89.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $88.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.78. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $69.42 and a 52 week high of $95.57.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.49% and a return on equity of 10.36%. Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 6.36 EPS for the current year.

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.