Maple Capital Management Inc. Lowers Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Maple Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 225,129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,032 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for 2.3% of Maple Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Maple Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $35,786,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Achmea Investment Management B.V. boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 60.0% in the third quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 265,884 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,265,000 after acquiring an additional 99,736 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 28.9% during the third quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 15,795 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,511,000 after acquiring an additional 3,543 shares during the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 18.3% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 8,822 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,402,000 after acquiring an additional 1,362 shares during the last quarter. UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth about $214,000. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 72,564 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,535,000 after purchasing an additional 4,018 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, HSBC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.14.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE MS opened at $157.89 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $94.33 and a fifty-two week high of $192.68. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $174.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.49. The stock has a market cap of $250.71 billion, a PE ratio of 15.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the transaction, the insider owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 value of $3,966,120.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management announced it surpassed $1 trillion in IRA assets under management — a credibility and fee-growth milestone for the advisory business that supports recurring revenue and investor confidence. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Surpasses $1 Trillion in Individual Retirement Account Assets Under Management
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s infrastructure arm agreed to sell its stake in the Bayonne Energy Center — a realization event for its private infrastructure platform that can improve reported results for MSIM and validate deal execution. Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners Agrees to Sell Bayonne Energy Center
• Positive Sentiment: Industry reports are highlighting Morgan Stanley among attractive investment‑bank names as trading, underwriting and advisory momentum improve — supportive for valuation multiples across the group. 3 Investment Bank Stocks to Buy From a Flourishing Industry
• Neutral Sentiment: The firm’s own macro views (e.g., sticking with a June rate‑cut call) help frame expectations for net interest income and market activity — this is a mixed but market-moving stance that traders will digest alongside Fed expectations. Morgan Stanley Sticks With June Rate Cut Call as Oil Surges
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley strategists (notably Mike Wilson) have warned the market may not have bottomed — that bearish research can pressure cyclical financial names if investors rotate to defensives. Stocks haven’t hit bottom yet, says the analyst who called a ‘rolling recession’ when everyone else saw a boom
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research flagged broader risks in private credit from AI-driven disruption — commentary that could raise concerns about MS’s exposure through credit and alternative‑asset businesses. Investors will watch for how the firm hedges or discloses that exposure. Morgan Stanley says AI disruption of software will send private credit defaults surging

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.