Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 58,590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,960 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $9,313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 645.8% in the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 91.9% in the third quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $187.79 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $171.72 and a 200 day moving average of $157.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $298.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.26, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $94.33 and a fifty-two week high of $188.82.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 13.85%.The business had revenue of $17.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.88 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 41.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Dbs Bank raised Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $122.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.46.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley filed S‑1 / trust applications to offer spot Bitcoin and Solana trusts, signalling a major push into the crypto‑ETF market and a new fee / product growth vector if approved. This positions MS alongside BlackRock/Fidelity and supports revenue diversification. Morgan Stanley files bitcoin, solana ETFs
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets have lifted sentiment — Jefferies and Wells Fargo raised MS targets recently (and coverage notes point to improved M&A and wealth management momentum), which often supports short‑term buying. Jefferies adjusts price target on Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Research outputs from MS (e.g., bullish calls on Indian equities / Sensex and a firm forecast for higher gold) highlight strong macro/research activity that can help trading and wealth revenues over 12–24 months, but these are longer‑horizon drivers. Stock market valuation turns favourable after 5 years, re-rating ahead: Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Product and distribution moves (E*TRADE sector studies, internal investment plans) are supportive of client engagement but are routine; helpful for positioning but less likely to move near‑term stock price materially. Morgan Stanley Files For Bitcoin ETF
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution risk: ETF/trust filings must clear SEC scrutiny — approval timing is uncertain and fee upside is not guaranteed; competition in crypto ETFs is intense (issuers may undercut fees), so filings alone may not translate into significant profits. Morgan Stanley joins Wall Street peers in embracing crypto

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.