Morgan Stanley $MS Stock: Strategic Planning Group LLC Decreases Holdings

Strategic Planning Group LLC lessened its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,581 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,987 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 1.3% of Strategic Planning Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Strategic Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $12,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Atlatl Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 55.7% during the second 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 during the period. Security National Bank of SO Dak acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Community Financial Services Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 297.4% during the second quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $183.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $152.80 and a 52-week high of $232.25. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $201.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $204.27. The company has a market capitalization of $289.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $20.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.93 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 15.63%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.80 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on MS. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. HSBC boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $217.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $205.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.62.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley, alongside Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, reportedly captured nearly 80% of the top five banks’ equity-trading revenue this year, generating a combined $52 billion. The surge was driven by heavy hedge-fund borrowing and leveraged activity tied to artificial intelligence hardware and semiconductor stocks, highlighting strong market-sensitive revenue potential for MS. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley are dominating the AI stock boom
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management received the 2026 Money Management Institute/Barron’s Wealth Management Advisory Platform of the Year award. The recognition reinforces the firm’s competitive position in advisory services and supports the longer-term growth case for its fee-based wealth-management business. Morgan Stanley Named 2026 Money Management Institute/Barron’s Wealth Management Advisory Platform of the Year
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage continues to focus on whether Morgan Stanley’s wealth-management operations can help stabilize performance. That business provides recurring fees and diversification from more cyclical investment-banking and trading results. Can Wealth Management Keep Morgan Stanley Steady?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley named Howmet Aerospace its top aerospace pick for the third quarter, replacing FTAI Aviation. The report reflects the firm’s research and advisory activity rather than a direct change to Morgan Stanley’s earnings outlook, so the effect on MS is limited. Morgan Stanley Names Top Aerospace Pick to Replace FTAI
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage questioning whether Morgan Stanley can sustain its valuation may be contributing to profit-taking after the recent run-up. At approximately 14.6 times earnings, the stock remains exposed to concerns about slowing growth or weaker capital-markets activity. Can Morgan Stanley Sustain Its Valuation?
• Negative Sentiment: Reported ETF net selling of Morgan Stanley shares on October 19 represents a near-term technical headwind, potentially adding to downside pressure even without a new fundamental deterioration. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, institutions, governments and individual investors. Founded in 1935, the company is headquartered in New York City and serves clients through operations across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other international markets.

Through its Institutional Securities segment, Morgan Stanley offers investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading, research, lending and related capital-markets services.