Lbp Am Sa raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) by 59.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 106,880 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 39,911 shares during the quarter. Lbp Am Sa’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $18,974,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MS. Powers Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,443 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 3,579 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $635,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,181 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $565,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 3,915 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
More Morgan Stanley News
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and headline strength – Morgan Stanley reported EPS of $3.43 and revenue of ~$20.6B, topping consensus; equities trading and advisory drove a material upside that investors rewarded. Why Morgan Stanley Stock Rocked the Market Today
- Positive Sentiment: Record markets revenue & improved dealmaking — Institutional Securities posted record quarterly Markets revenue (notably high equities trading), while investment banking showed pickup, supporting better-than-expected net income. Morgan Stanley Q1 Earnings Top on Markets & Advisory Strength, Stock Up
- Positive Sentiment: Wealth Management momentum — record Wealth Management revenues, strong net new assets and fee-based inflows signal durable franchise earnings power beyond trading volatility. (See Q1 call coverage and summaries.) Nasdaq Surges 200 Points; Morgan Stanley Posts Upbeat Earnings
- Positive Sentiment: Capital returns and shareholder-friendly actions — firm executed ~$1.75B in buybacks during the quarter and declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend, reinforcing cash-return optionality. Morgan Stanley’s profit rises on dealmaking, trading boost
- Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/capital outlook improving — CFO said the U.S. capital-rule overhaul likely leaves Morgan Stanley’s requirements flat or modestly lower, a structural tailwind if realized but subject to final rule details and timing. Morgan Stanley eyes capital relief as lobbying push pays off
- Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term strategic bets — management highlighted tokenization/on‑chain tools as part of the wealth platform roadmap; positive for competitiveness longer term but not an immediate earnings driver. Morgan Stanley CFO Ties Tokenization to Core Wealth Advisory Model
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation and sentiment — some post‑earnings analysis warns that the stock’s valuation is elevated after the rally, leaving less room for disappointment if trading or deal activity moderates. Monitor guidance and margin cadence. Morgan Stanley: Impressive Q1 But Valuation Remains Hot
Morgan Stanley Stock Performance
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 39.18%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
MS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. UBS Group upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $195.00 to $196.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $189.94.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Morgan Stanley
Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley
In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total value of $5,569,194.60. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 280,481 shares in the company, valued at $51,501,921.22. This represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the company’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 in the company, valued at $23,598,777.60. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.
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.
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