Centaurus Financial Inc. Has $3.31 Million Stake in Morgan Stanley $MS

Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 14.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,480 shares during the quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Strategic Investment Advisors MI bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at about $278,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 1,647 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Encore Global Management LP bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at approximately $658,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 9.9% during the first quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,566 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,081,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 10.4% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 6,981,276 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,148,906,000 after purchasing an additional 654,891 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $210.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $136.17 and a fifty-two week high of $232.25. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $215.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $190.67. The company has a market capitalization of $331.22 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.51%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.34%.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst raises earnings forecasts: Erste Group Bank lifted its Morgan Stanley EPS estimates to $12.82 for fiscal 2026 and $13.65 for fiscal 2027, above consensus estimates of $12.78 and $12.68, respectively. The firm maintained a Buy rating. Erste Group raises Morgan Stanley earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly momentum remains supportive: Morgan Stanley’s latest reported quarter showed EPS of $3.46, well above the $2.89 consensus, while revenue rose 27.1% year over year to $21.35 billion. The results reinforced expectations for continued earnings growth across investment banking, trading and wealth management.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity signals bullish positioning: Traders purchased 40,133 Morgan Stanley call options, approximately 123% above average call volume. Options activity can amplify near-term momentum, though it is not a guarantee of future performance.
• Positive Sentiment: Visibility with major technology investors: Morgan Stanley hosted a closed-door roadshow featuring Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Huang said rising demand for AI computing could lift corporate revenue and GDP, highlighting the investment bank’s role in capturing AI-related advisory, capital-markets and wealth-management opportunities. Nvidia CEO joins Morgan Stanley roadshow
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion of investment products: Morgan Stanley Investment Management launched Ethereum and Solana exchange-traded products with staking features and 0.14% fees, extending its cryptocurrency product lineup beyond its Bitcoin offering. This could create additional fee revenue and strengthen the firm’s competitive position in digital assets. Morgan Stanley launches Ethereum and Solana ETPs
• Neutral Sentiment: Market backdrop remains mixed: Morgan Stanley research has highlighted opportunities in quality stocks amid elevated valuations, geopolitical uncertainty and questions about returns on AI infrastructure spending. These conditions may support advisory and trading activity but could also increase market volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Mortgage-practices allegations: A report alleged that some Morgan Stanley bankers were pressured to approve mortgages for wealthy clients. If substantiated, the issue could lead to regulatory scrutiny, legal costs or reputational damage. Report on Morgan Stanley mortgage allegations

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $214.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.