Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Takes $91.16 Million Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 436,106 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $91,164,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Crown Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 55.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 35.7% during the second quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 8,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,724,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 502 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE MS opened at $215.09 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $145.65 and a 1-year high of $232.25. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $216.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The company has a market capitalization of $339.27 billion, a PE ratio of 17.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st were paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 37.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.75.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Morgan Stanley from “Hold” to “Strong Buy.” The upgrade provides a near-term sentiment boost and reflects confidence in the firm’s earnings trajectory and valuation. Zacks Morgan Stanley upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analysis highlighted Morgan Stanley’s strong first-half 2026 performance. Investors are responding to growth across the business, improving diversification, a recovery in investment banking, and a solid capital position. These factors support expectations for sustained earnings growth. Morgan Stanley first-half 2026 results analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s latest reported quarter showed adjusted earnings of $3.46 per share and revenue of $21.35 billion, exceeding consensus estimates. Revenue increased 27.1% year over year, while return on equity reached 19.31%, reinforcing the bullish fundamental backdrop.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent Morgan Stanley research notes on other companies—including insurance, technology, energy and consumer stocks—may increase the firm’s research visibility, but they are not expected to materially affect Morgan Stanley’s own earnings in the near term. Morgan Stanley insurance stock recommendations

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.