Edgestream Partners L.P. Purchases 28,051 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 49.2% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 85,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,051 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises 0.5% of Edgestream Partners L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Edgestream Partners L.P.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $13,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,718,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $21,253,554,000 after buying an additional 1,361,940 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 103,854,751 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,437,334,000 after acquiring an additional 539,544 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 27,070,557 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,786,350,000 after purchasing an additional 534,708 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,018,335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,441,505,000 after purchasing an additional 524,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,736,648,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst earnings estimates increased. Erste Group Bank raised its Morgan Stanley EPS forecasts to $12.82 for fiscal 2026 and $13.65 for fiscal 2027, up from $12.07 and $12.88, respectively. The firm maintained a Buy rating, while the current consensus is $12.68 for the year. This reinforces expectations for continued earnings momentum after Morgan Stanley’s recent quarterly beat. Morgan Stanley earnings estimate revisions
• Positive Sentiment: Crypto product expansion could create new fee revenue. Morgan Stanley Investment Management launched the MSSE Ethereum Trust and MSOL Solana Trust, each with a 0.14% expense ratio and plans to pass staking rewards to investors. The products expand the firm’s digital-asset lineup beyond its Bitcoin fund and could strengthen its position in the growing crypto ETF market. Morgan Stanley Ether and Solana ETPs
• Positive Sentiment: Investment-banking activity remains strong. Morgan Stanley advised on 15 construction-related M&A transactions valued at $81.3 billion during the first half of 2026. Separately, research cited strong second-quarter trading and investment-banking results across major banks, supporting the outlook for Morgan Stanley’s institutional securities business. Morgan Stanley construction M&A advisory
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent operating performance was strong but may already be reflected in valuation. Morgan Stanley’s latest reported quarter included EPS of $3.46 versus an expected $2.89 and revenue of $21.35 billion versus $19.67 billion, with revenue up 27.1% year over year. However, the stock’s elevated valuation and position above its long-term moving average may leave it sensitive to profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: Allegations involving mortgage approvals add reputational risk. Reports alleged that Morgan Stanley bankers were pressured to approve mortgages for wealthy clients. Although the reports do not establish wrongdoing, investors may be concerned about potential compliance, legal or regulatory scrutiny. Morgan Stanley mortgage allegations

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 3.9%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $203.29 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $214.92 and a 200 day moving average of $190.50. The stock has a market cap of $320.65 billion, a PE ratio of 16.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $136.17 and a one year high of $232.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.51%. The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.78 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on MS shares. Citigroup upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wolfe Research dropped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. CICC Research lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $224.50.

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.