Nordea Investment Management AB Cuts Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Nordea Investment Management AB lessened its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 897,710 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 14,572 shares during the quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB owned about 0.06% of Morgan Stanley worth $142,601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 91.9% during the 3rd quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on MS. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $211.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.85.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley filed spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs — a direct entry into the large crypto‑ETF market that could attract new fee revenue and client flows if approved. This validates MS’s push to capture institutional crypto asset demand. Get Ready for Crypto Exposure as Morgan Stanley Joins the ETF Race
• Positive Sentiment: MS’s private‑equity arm took a majority stake in engineering firm Olsson — an action that expands PE investments and potential carry/realization upside over time. The deal signals continued deal activity from MS’s alternatives business. Morgan Stanley’s PE unit takes majority stake in engineering firm Olsson
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is moving deeper into crypto services — reports the firm plans a crypto wallet — an execution step that complements ETF filings and could increase wallet/service revenue and client engagement in digital assets. Morgan Stanley Plans to Launch Cryptocurrency Wallet
• Positive Sentiment: Positive market commentary: CNBC/Yahoo coverage highlights strong asset‑gathering at Morgan Stanley — a positive for fee income and long‑term AUM growth. That narrative supports the stock if earnings confirm continued asset inflows. Jim Cramer Says “The Asset Gathering in Morgan Stanley Has Been Extraordinary”
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are re‑setting expectations ahead of MS’s Q4 earnings (reporting the week of Jan. 15). Forecast revisions and previews are increasing attention but create two‑way risk depending on trade/IB performance. Top Wall Street Forecasters Revamp Morgan Stanley Expectations Ahead Of Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 previews expect trading and investment‑banking to be key drivers of revenue; positive beats could lift the stock, while any softness in trading/IB would be a near‑term headwind. Is MS Stock a Buy Ahead of Q4 Earnings on Favorable Industry Trends?
• Negative Sentiment: Sector headwinds: weakness in large banks (JPMorgan and peers) has weighed on financials today and is likely dragging MS lower despite its positive strategic moves — investors are trimming ahead of earnings season and reacting to JPM‑led market moves. Earnings Preview: Morgan Stanley to Report This Week

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $182.82 on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $188.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The company has a market cap of $290.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s 50 day moving average is $173.82 and its 200 day moving average is $158.94.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. The business had revenue of $17.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.88 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.