SMART Wealth LLC Purchases Shares of 3,310 Morgan Stanley $MS

SMART Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $588,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 27.9% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 88,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,698,000 after purchasing an additional 19,269 shares during the last quarter. Welch Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 2,371 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 619.0% in the fourth quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 154,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,498,000 after purchasing an additional 133,351 shares during the last quarter. J.M. Arbour LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $557,000. Finally, CM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. CM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,373 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 607 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $188.95 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $168.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $170.67. The company has a market cap of $298.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.11, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.19. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $104.78 and a 12-month high of $194.59.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 36.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MS shares. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $195.00 to $196.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $199.67.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: revenue and EPS surprised on the upside, driven by strong trading and investment‑banking performance and continued wealth‑management flows — the core earnings beat is the primary driver of investor optimism. MS Q1 Deep Dive: Wealth and Investment Banking Deliver
• Positive Sentiment: MSBT (Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF) has drawn >$100M in its first week — a fast start that supports asset‑gathering momentum and fee diversification at the firm. Morgan Stanley Bitcoin ETF Tops $100 Million in Six Days
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street is increasing MS valuation assumptions: several firms raised price targets and upgraded outlooks after Q1 (Bank of America, Evercore, Argus, Keefe Bruyette & Woods among them), which supports further upside narratives. Morgan Stanley Price Target Raised to $225.00 at Bank of America
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend and capital return: Morgan Stanley announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend (ex‑dividend Apr 30), signaling confidence in cash generation and returning capital to shareholders (income‑supporting but not an earnings catalyst).
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing investment banking / underwriting activity (including large debt syndications) highlights the firm’s franchise utility in markets — positive for fee pipelines but cyclically sensitive to capital‑markets activity.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory / reputational overhang: Senator Elizabeth Warren requested Fed records tied to a Fed nominee’s past actions that reference Morgan Stanley; while not an immediate earnings issue, it increases political/regulatory headline risk. Elizabeth Warren Challenges Fed Chair Nominee Kevin Warsh
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts still express caution: a few firms kept conservative ratings or raised PTs while maintaining neutral/hold views (e.g., HSBC/Rothschild adjustments), which can cap near‑term upside and prompt mixed trading. HSBC Adjusts Price Target on Morgan Stanley

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $6,020,286.48. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 195,549 shares of company stock worth $36,260,510. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.