ING Groep NV Sells 2,929 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

ING Groep NV trimmed its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 4.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 56,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,929 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $9,031,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MS. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 645.8% in the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 91.9% during the third quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of MS stock opened at $176.88 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $181.09 and a 200-day moving average of $164.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The stock has a market cap of $281.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.32, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $192.68.

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

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.18%.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has a near‑term business tailwind from investment banking hires and deal pipeline — the return of Michael Grimes to lead investment banking should help MS win tech IPO and advisory mandates, a potential boost to fees over coming quarters. Michael Grimes Return Puts Morgan Stanley At Center Of Tech IPO Cycle
• Positive Sentiment: Latest reported fundamentals remain a support: MS beat Q4 estimates (EPS and revenue) and continues to show improving margins and ROE, which underpins valuation vs. peers (background earnings data disclosed 1/15).
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research is active and moving markets — the firm’s analyst work (including bullish calls on names such as Micron) can drive trading and capital markets activity, but the revenue benefits are lumpy and timing uncertain. Morgan Stanley Pounds the Table on Micron Stock (MU)
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategist pieces and scans (MS looked through ~3,600 stocks for AI winners) spotlight the firm’s market‑research strength but are longer‑horizon catalysts rather than immediate earnings drivers. Morgan Stanley examined 3,600 stocks amid AI’s shakeout. It has recommendations.
• Negative Sentiment: Governance and optics risks: Reuters reports CEO Ted Pick’s pay rose ~32% to $45M — a headline that can pressure sentiment, especially when investors focus on cost discipline and compensation governance. Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick’s pay rises 32% to $45 million
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term technical/market factors: MS is trading off after a rally toward its 52‑week high — some pullback and profit‑taking by traders is consistent with sector rotation and headline noise (research/compensation stories), which can mute intraday performance.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. Evercore lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, HSBC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total transaction of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider owned 280,481 shares in the company, valued at $51,501,921.22. The trade was a 9.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.