Swedbank AB raised its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 906,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 16,953 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $160,867,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Powers Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,443 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 3,579 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $635,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,181 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 3,915 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.6%
MS opened at $189.21 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $299.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $117.21 and a 12 month high of $194.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $171.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $173.19.
Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.23%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages have recently commented on MS. Citizens Jmp restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $203.17.
Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley
In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 365,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
More Morgan Stanley News
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley named a lead arranger on Meta’s reported ~$13B El Paso data‑center financing — a meaningful IB mandate that could generate sizable fees and underscores MS’s role on large tech infrastructure deals. Meta taps Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan for El Paso data center deal
- Positive Sentiment: International expansion: Morgan Stanley was named a remote trading member on ADX, widening market access for clients in the Gulf — positive for global trading and wealth flows. ADX welcomes Morgan Stanley as the first international investment bank Remote Trading Member
- Positive Sentiment: Asset‑management flows: U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF inflows show Morgan Stanley’s MSBT had positive inflows recently — a small but visible win for its ETF/asset management franchise. That supports recurring fee upside in the alternatives/ETF line. Bitcoin ETFs pull in $532M as BTC reclaims $80K
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst moves: Daiwa raised MS’s price target to $198 (still a Neutral rating) — helpful for sentiment but not a full sell‑side upgrade; it implies limited near‑term upside from current levels. Daiwa Securities adjusts price target on Morgan Stanley to $198
- Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research is prominent in market narratives (AI capex and semiconductor coverage), reinforcing its institutional franchise — positive for durable research/IB flow but indirect for near‑term stock moves. This is why stocks keep rallying, according to Morgan Stanley
- Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: reports say U.S. regulators have opened a preliminary investigation into Morgan Stanley’s Budapest investment‑banking program — this raises legal/regulatory overhang and could pressure sentiment until the scope/impact are clarified. Morgan Stanley’s investment banking program in Budapest hit by US probe
About Morgan Stanley
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.
See Also
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