Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Telos Capital Management Inc.

Telos Capital Management Inc. reduced its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 5.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 133,139 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,094 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up about 2.2% of Telos Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Telos Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $23,636,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 91.9% in the 3rd quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research lowered 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 boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, January 16th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $189.94.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total value of $5,569,194.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 280,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. The trade was a 9.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: MS launched the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT), the first spot Bitcoin ETF issued by a major U.S. bank and priced with a very low 0.14% fee — a distribution advantage to Morgan Stanley’s ~16,000 financial advisors and a potential new AUM/fee stream. Bitcoin ETF Era Expands — Article
• Positive Sentiment: MSBT attracted ~$30–34M of inflows/trading on its first day — an encouraging initial demand signal that should help AUM growth over time if distribution converts into sustained flows. First-day inflows — Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 earnings are due April 15; consensus previews expect robust trading and IB fee strength (Zacks highlights ~$19.6B revenue and ~$3.08 EPS consensus). Results — and management comments on trading, IB pipeline, and wealth- and ETF-related flows — are the next major catalysts. Q1 preview — Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are actively reworking forecasts and price targets ahead of Q1 (upgrades and downgrades both appear). That creates mixed near-term sentiment and volatility as the street re-prices MS on updated trading/wealth assumptions. Analyst revisions — Article
• Negative Sentiment: MS’s low-fee Bitcoin ETF could spark broader fee competition across issuers; analysts warn a fee war may compress margins for ETF providers and asset managers — an industry headwind if sustained. That dynamic may pressure perceived long-term profitability from the ETF channel. Fee war concerns — Article

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS opened at $177.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $168.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.75. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $102.89 and a 1 year high of $192.68. The stock has a market cap of $280.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The firm had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 39.18%.

Morgan Stanley 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.