Northern Financial Advisors Inc Has $428,000 Stake in Morgan Stanley $MS

Northern Financial Advisors Inc trimmed its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 55.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,942 shares during the quarter. Northern Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Argus raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $189.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $201.33.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE MS opened at $190.55 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $169.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.10. The company has a market capitalization of $301.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.26, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.19. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $104.78 and a 1-year high of $194.59.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 14.65%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 36.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at $65,254,222.62. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 110,444 shares of company stock worth $20,665,049 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on MS to $225 and reiterated a Buy, citing management messaging and business momentum — a clear analyst endorsement that can attract buyers. BofA Lifts PT on Morgan Stanley (MS) to $225 From $220
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its MS price target to $220 and kept an Outperform rating — another institutional upgrade that supports near-term upside. BMO Capital adjusts PT on Morgan Stanley to 220
• Positive Sentiment: Spot Bitcoin ETF flows remain strong across the market and Morgan Stanley’s MSBT has taken meaningful inflows — supports AUM/fee narratives for Wealth & Asset Management. Spot Bitcoin ETFs Add $996M as Flows Near Record High
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research franchise remains active (initiating/adjusting coverage on large telecom and tech names). This underscores a healthy research business (good long term for commissions/research fees) but is not an immediate earnings catalyst. Morgan Stanley Assumes Coverage of T-Mobile US (TMUS)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Morgan Stanley insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares (~$2.1M) per an SEC filing — a near-term negative for sentiment even if driven by personal liquidity. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Insider Eric Grossman Sells 11,118 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Additional SEC-filed insider sales were reported (multi-million-dollar disposals highlighted in press coverage), which some investors may view as a cautionary signal for near-term upside. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Insider Sells $9,744,068.12 in Stock

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.