JM2 Capital Inc. Makes New Investment in Morgan Stanley $MS

JM2 Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,943 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $523,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 25,754 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,572,000 after purchasing an additional 1,926 shares during the last quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,405,000. HBW Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $215,000. Watershed Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $215,000. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 2,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $459,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s strategists are urging “buy the dip” and arguing the S&P pullback is largely over — that bullish guidance from MS research is supporting investor sentiment and helping the stock. J.P.Morgan, Morgan Stanley urge buying the dip as US earnings stay resilient
• Positive Sentiment: Product news: Morgan Stanley has launched/entered the bitcoin ETF market (including press noting a very low‑cost offering). That expands fee product mix, positions MS to capture crypto flow from institutions/wealth clients, and is seen as a growth/AM product positive. Bitcoin News: Morgan Stanley Just Launched the Cheapest Bitcoin ETF on the Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing analyst activity from Morgan Stanley (price‑target changes and sector notes) keeps the firm highly visible — that can attract attention to MS but is not an immediate in/out earnings catalyst for the bank itself. Morgan Stanley Raises Evercore (EVR) Target While Goldman Sachs Cuts on Valuation Reset
• Neutral Sentiment: Market positioning ahead of the banking sector’s Q1 reporting season highlights comparisons (JPM vs MS). That focus can boost MS stock if earnings momentum matches expectations, but it’s conditional on results. JPM or MS: Which Stock Looks More Compelling Ahead of Q1 Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk remains (Middle East tensions, oil supply concerns) — broader market weakness or a risk‑off move would hurt trading and wealth businesses that drive MS revenue. Recent coverage notes these geopolitical risks could pressure markets. Stock Futures Down, Oil Rises as US Plans Blockade of Iranian Ports in Strait of Hormuz After Talks Fail

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on MS. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price target on Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Evercore reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $189.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at $65,254,222.62. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 127,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,598,777.60. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $180.86 on Tuesday. 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 has a 12 month low of $104.78 and a 12 month high of $192.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $168.19 and a 200-day moving average of $170.05. The company has a market capitalization of $286.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 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.