Mariner LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 875,721 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 31,425 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $155,478,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Norges Bank bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $2,736,648,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,718,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,253,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,940 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2,332.9% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,406,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $249,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,348,683 shares during the period. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter valued at $170,037,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 40.2% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,933,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $466,326,000 after purchasing an additional 841,263 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.
More Morgan Stanley News
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Morgan Stanley to $187 from $179 while keeping a neutral rating, signaling improved expectations even though the new target still implies downside from current levels.
- Positive Sentiment: Media coverage highlighted Morgan Stanley’s “wide awake” posture on M&A opportunities as the bank pursues a $10 trillion wealth-management ambition, which could support longer-term growth through acquisitions in advisors, private markets, and alternatives.
- Positive Sentiment: Additional reports emphasized Morgan Stanley’s continued strength in wealth management and its willingness to expand through inorganic growth, reinforcing the market’s view that the firm has multiple avenues for revenue growth.
- Neutral Sentiment: One article noted Morgan Stanley’s stock has climbed near its 52-week high, which may be drawing attention to valuation and limiting upside in the near term.
- Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate to $11.97 from $12.00, a minor change that does not appear to have altered the broader bullish tone.
- Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary continues to frame Morgan Stanley’s valuation as stretched after a strong rally, and the stock’s proximity to its 52-week high may prompt profit-taking.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Get Our Latest Stock Report on MS
Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.1%
Shares of NYSE MS opened at $214.19 on Monday. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $128.81 and a one year high of $219.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $193.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $337.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.23.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.
Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 36.23%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the sale, the insider owned 365,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company’s chief executive and chairman in recent years.
The firm’s primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Morgan Stanley
- 3 ETFs Giving Ready-Made Access to the Discounted International Small-Cap Space
- What to Expect From Q2 Earnings as Tech Strength Broadens
- Viasat’s Orbiting Profits: Space Force Jackpot?
- Robinhood Wants a Bigger Role in IPOs—Here’s Why It Matters
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Morgan Stanley Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Morgan Stanley and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
