Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP Takes Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 14,055 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,495,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 69.0% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 8,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,263,000 after purchasing an additional 3,661 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 90.9% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,378,000 after purchasing an additional 7,688 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 263,575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,127,000 after purchasing an additional 15,623 shares during the period. Finally, Jupiter Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 7.8% in the 2nd quarter. Jupiter Wealth Management LLC now owns 52,825 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,805,000 after purchasing an additional 3,807 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $6,020,286.48. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 110,444 shares of company stock valued at $20,665,049. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS stock opened at $188.66 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $169.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $171.58. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $111.24 and a 12-month high of $194.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $298.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.09, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.89%. 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 previous year, the company earned $2.60 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reported solid Q1 results and has been active on capital (dividend, buybacks and funding moves) — fundamentals and capital returns support valuation. Morgan Stanley’s Strong Q1 Earnings And Capital Moves Could Be A Game Changer For Morgan Stanley (MS)
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage is constructive: BMO raised its MS price target (supportive to sentiment/price targets from the sell side). BMO Capital Markets Increases Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $220.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and research pieces highlight Morgan Stanley’s role as an influential analyst and wealth manager (e.g., research on gaming/AI and sustainable investing) — these shape longer-term thematic flows but aren’t an immediate price catalyst. Gaming industry could unlock $22 billion in profits on AI-driven cost cuts, says Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s own macro take (downgrading near-term GDP outlook / warning on consumer dynamics) is being cited by media — that soft macro view can dampen investor appetite for bank cyclicality and reduce the “earnings multiple” investors are willing to pay. Morgan Stanley drops stunning take on GDP outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling was reported (executive sale disclosure), which can be interpreted negatively by some traders even if sales are routine. Combined with lower intraday volume vs. average, this can amplify moves down. Eric Grossman Sells 11,118 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wolfe Research decreased their price target 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. HSBC lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.33.

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.