Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) by 15.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 273,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,082 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $48,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 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 valued at $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 74,588 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,506,000 after acquiring an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $239,000. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $296,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 24,045,186 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,387,005,000 after purchasing an additional 749,150 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley
In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the business’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 owned 280,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. The trade was a 9.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506 over the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.1%
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 39.18%.
More Morgan Stanley News
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley priced a low‑fee spot Bitcoin ETF (record‑low fee reported), signalling a competitive push into digital‑asset distribution that could win advisor flows and AUM over time — positive for future fee income and market positioning. Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF Push Recasts Its Digital Asset Ambitions
- Positive Sentiment: Research franchise boosting client engagement: Morgan Stanley elevated Meta to a top pick and highlighted AI/security winners (Microsoft, CrowdStrike among top AI security bets). Strong, visible research can drive advisory mandates, trading flows and investment‑banking touchpoints. ‘It’s time to buy Meta.’ Why Morgan Stanley sees 45% upside for the stock.
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley published a top‑5 AI security stock list (MSFT, CRWD highlighted), reinforcing its tech research leadership and potential deal/placement opportunities in fast‑growing cybersecurity themes. Microsoft, CrowdStrike Lead Among Morgan Stanley’s Top 5 AI Security Bets
- Neutral Sentiment: Macro positioning commentary from Morgan Stanley (S&P correction nearing an end) signals caution but also a tactical buy narrative — this guidance can temper client risk taking and influence trading and asset‑management flows in the short term. S&P 500 Selloff Is ‘Getting Closer to Its Ending Stages,’ Says Morgan Stanley
- Negative Sentiment: Reputational/regulatory risk: an FT report says a Morgan Stanley wealth manager approached BlackRock about a multimillion‑dollar defence fund tied to a senior government official — such stories can raise compliance and reputational questions for a wealth manager and could weigh on sentiment. Pete Hegseth’s broker looked to buy defence fund before Iran attack
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts have commented on MS shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, January 16th. HSBC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $187.14.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Morgan Stanley
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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