IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) by 4.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 244,811 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,206 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $40,289,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research firms have weighed in on MS. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wolfe Research reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $210.50.
Morgan Stanley Stock Performance
Shares of MS opened at $209.03 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $135.26 and a one year high of $230.47. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $203.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $184.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $329.70 billion, a PE ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.23.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.60 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 36.23%.
Morgan Stanley announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
More Morgan Stanley News
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on MS to $240 from $220 and kept an Outperform rating, signaling continued confidence in the bank’s upside. MarketScreener
- Positive Sentiment: The company continues to highlight strong capital-return potential, with recent coverage pointing to share repurchases and shareholder payouts as supportive for valuation. MarketBeat
- Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s strategists are making broad macro calls on oil, semiconductors, AI, and market broadening, keeping the firm in the headlines but not directly changing fundamentals for MS. MarketWatch
- Neutral Sentiment: The bank also received broader analyst attention and “moderate buy” style coverage, which supports the stock but does not appear to be a fresh catalyst by itself. American Banking News
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.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Morgan Stanley
- NextEra’s Dominion Deal Could Put It at the Center of the AI Power Race
- Amazon Could Be About to Reap the Rewards of a Software Spending Boom
- Best Buy’s Turnaround Is Gaining Traction, But Wall Street Still Needs Proof
- AI Fears Hit Nebius Stock, But Has the Growth Thesis Changed?
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.
