Foundations Investment Advisors LLC Has $45.55 Million Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 286,574 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 21,702 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $45,554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 23.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $194,000 after buying an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. XML Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at $210,000. Trivium Point Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 18.7% during the 2nd quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 4,074 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alley Investment Management Company LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.6% in the second quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 69,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,732,000 after acquiring an additional 6,619 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Closed acquisition of EquityZen expands Morgan Stanley’s private‑shares distribution and technology footprint, boosting its ability to monetize pre‑IPO/private markets through wealth channels. Morgan Stanley Closes Acquisition of EquityZen
• Positive Sentiment: Firm appointed Amy Oldenburg as head of digital asset strategy — a concrete leadership step after recent crypto ETF filings and wallet plans, signaling push into fee‑rich digital‑asset services. Morgan Stanley appoints new head of digital asset strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Research visibility: Morgan Stanley’s research is influencing markets (notably its space‑sector work) and the firm’s multi‑engine model drew positive mention from other banks — supports franchise value and fee‑based flows. Space Stock Boom: Why Retail and Wall Street Are Aligning
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro research note: Morgan Stanley’s economic views (on spending shifts as rates change) are market‑relevant but not an immediate stock catalyst; they mainly inform sector allocation. Morgan Stanley Expects Interest Rate Trends to Shift Spending Away from Services Toward Goods
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst franchise activity (MS analysts publishing targets/coverage on many names) underscores the firm’s research reach but is indirect for MS’s near‑term stock movement. Morgan Stanley’s (MS) Multi-Engine Model Impresses RBC
• Negative Sentiment: Minor portfolio/substantial‑holder filings (e.g., Morgan Stanley ceasing to be a substantial shareholder in an external resource name) and routine insider/position moves can create short‑term headline noise. Morgan Stanley Ceases to Be Substantial Shareholder in West African Resources

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of MS stock opened at $182.35 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $94.33 and a 12 month high of $192.68. The company has a market cap of $289.81 billion, a PE ratio of 17.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The business’s 50 day moving average is $178.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.02.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. HSBC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $211.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 9.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 196,223 shares of company stock worth $34,150,220 in the last ninety days. 0.19% of the stock is owned by 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.