Townsquare Capital LLC Sells 4,213 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Townsquare Capital LLC lessened its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 23.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,973 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,213 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,221,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the third quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,222 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 877 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. LeConte Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. LeConte Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 3,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $435,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,518 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $182.23 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $178.70 and a 200-day moving average of $162.16. The company has a market cap of $289.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $192.68.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 14.09%.The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total transaction of $5,569,194.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 280,481 shares in the company, valued at $51,501,921.22. This trade represents a 9.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,464,920. The trade was a 11.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 96,223 shares of company stock valued at $17,716,220 in the last ninety days. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kevin Warsh nominated as Fed chair; markets view the pick as potentially more market-friendly which can ease rate-path uncertainty and support financials — helps trading, wealth and advisory businesses at MS. Trump names Warsh as Fed chair
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reported a strong quarter in mid‑January (Q4 EPS $2.68 vs. $2.28 est.; revenue up ~10% YoY). That beat and healthy ROE/net margin profile support buyback/dividend capacity and investor confidence in MS’s operating momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive — MS has a consensus “Moderate Buy” from analysts, which can limit downside but also caps near‑term upside absent new catalysts. MS Given Consensus “Moderate Buy”
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing analyst activity (Morgan Stanley analysts maintaining/issuing ratings on other names like LPL, Nvidia, etc.) highlights the strength and visibility of MS’s research franchise — supportive for advisory/flows but an indirect factor for the stock. LPL Financial: Morgan Stanley analyst coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Confirmation risk and market reaction to a Fed leadership change could increase short‑term volatility (fixed‑income and credit markets may reprice). Morgan Stanley’s trading and principal businesses can be hit by rapid bond/yield swings; MS commentary warns of “disconnects” in bond markets that create episodic risk. Morgan Stanley: bond-market disconnects

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MS shares. Citigroup increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.93.

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.