Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 47,986 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,782 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $8,519,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $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 bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1,855.6% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Key Morgan Stanley News
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was named, along with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, to lead Anthropic’s expected IPO, a high-profile mandate that could boost future banking fees and underscores the firm’s position in major AI-related capital markets deals.
- Positive Sentiment: The firm’s analysts remained active across coverage, including a favorable note on Broadcom and higher targets on several other names, which keeps Morgan Stanley visible as a market-moving research house.
- Positive Sentiment: Media reports said Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is opening parts of its platform to AI agents, suggesting the firm is continuing to invest in automation and efficiency within its large wealth-management business.
- Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also showed up in commentary around several sectors and conferences, including financials events and macro calls, but these items were more informational than direct stock catalysts.
Morgan Stanley Trading Up 3.9%
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.60 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 36.23%.
Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley
In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. The trade was a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the sale, the insider owned 365,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,224,370.48. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.95.
View Our Latest Stock Report on MS
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.
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