Net Worth Advisory Group Sells 3,210 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Net Worth Advisory Group lessened its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 34.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,161 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,210 shares during the quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,094,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 91.9% during the 3rd quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. HSBC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $211.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $187.14.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: NYSE Arca issued a formal listing notice for Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF (ticker MSBT), a step that typically signals an imminent launch — this should create a new distribution channel and potential fee revenue/asset-gathering opportunity for MS. Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF Gets Official Listing Announcement By NYSE: Analyst Says This ‘Typically’ Means Launch Imminent
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts note Morgan Stanley plans to price its Bitcoin ETF among the lowest-fee options in market — a potentially effective growth tactic to win flows vs. incumbents, which could translate into AUM growth and recurring fees if the fund scales. Morgan Stanley’s (MS) New Bitcoin ETF to Offer Lowest Fees in the Market
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group nudged up its FY2026 EPS forecast for Morgan Stanley — a small analyst revision that supports the firm’s longer-term earnings trajectory and can be read as reaffirmation by the Street (helpful for sentiment).
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are entering Morgan Stanley’s Q1 2026 earnings season; previews and expectations create two-way risk (beats can lift the stock; misses can amplify weakness). See the expectations summary for context. Morgan Stanley’s Q1 2026 Earnings: What to Expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader business notes and research from MS (e.g., comparisons with Schwab and sector-level analyst actions) underline that Morgan Stanley’s wealth-management franchise remains a differentiator, but such structural positives may be priced in. MS vs. SCHW: Who Holds the Edge in the Evolving Wealth Landscape?
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and market-positioning headwinds — a stronger dollar, haven flows tied to the Middle East conflict and broad tech/financial volatility — are pressuring stocks today and likely weigh on MS despite the ETF/newsflow. This kind of risk-off can drive short-term selling even when firm-specific items look constructive. Wall Street’s FX Roadmap Roiled by Dollar’s Best Run Since 2024

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total value of $2,942,225.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 135,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,135,424.08. This represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $158.37 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $94.33 and a fifty-two week high of $192.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $251.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.20. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $171.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.93.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its 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. The company had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

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.