Kentucky Retirement Systems Raises Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Kentucky Retirement Systems increased its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 58.2% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 114,385 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 42,075 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $18,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MS. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $203.29 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The stock has a market cap of $320.65 billion, a PE ratio of 16.43, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s fifty day moving average is $214.92 and its 200 day moving average is $190.50. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $136.17 and a 52 week high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.51%. The business had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.34%.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst earnings estimates increased. Erste Group Bank raised its Morgan Stanley EPS forecasts to $12.82 for fiscal 2026 and $13.65 for fiscal 2027, up from $12.07 and $12.88, respectively. The firm maintained a Buy rating, while the current consensus is $12.68 for the year. This reinforces expectations for continued earnings momentum after Morgan Stanley’s recent quarterly beat. Morgan Stanley earnings estimate revisions
• Positive Sentiment: Crypto product expansion could create new fee revenue. Morgan Stanley Investment Management launched the MSSE Ethereum Trust and MSOL Solana Trust, each with a 0.14% expense ratio and plans to pass staking rewards to investors. The products expand the firm’s digital-asset lineup beyond its Bitcoin fund and could strengthen its position in the growing crypto ETF market. Morgan Stanley Ether and Solana ETPs
• Positive Sentiment: Investment-banking activity remains strong. Morgan Stanley advised on 15 construction-related M&A transactions valued at $81.3 billion during the first half of 2026. Separately, research cited strong second-quarter trading and investment-banking results across major banks, supporting the outlook for Morgan Stanley’s institutional securities business. Morgan Stanley construction M&A advisory
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent operating performance was strong but may already be reflected in valuation. Morgan Stanley’s latest reported quarter included EPS of $3.46 versus an expected $2.89 and revenue of $21.35 billion versus $19.67 billion, with revenue up 27.1% year over year. However, the stock’s elevated valuation and position above its long-term moving average may leave it sensitive to profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: Allegations involving mortgage approvals add reputational risk. Reports alleged that Morgan Stanley bankers were pressured to approve mortgages for wealthy clients. Although the reports do not establish wrongdoing, investors may be concerned about potential compliance, legal or regulatory scrutiny. Morgan Stanley mortgage allegations

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Dbs Bank increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Oppenheimer cut Morgan Stanley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.50.

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.