NFSG Corp Reduces Stake in Morgan Stanley $MS

NFSG Corp trimmed its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 90.2% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 521 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,812 shares during the quarter. NFSG Corp’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $86,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reported record second-quarter revenue of $21.35 billion and EPS of $3.46, beating Wall Street estimates on strong trading, investment banking, and wealth management results.
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its quarterly dividend by 15% to $1.15 per share, signaling confidence in cash generation and capital returns.
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted record wealth and institutional revenues, along with strong financial flexibility and growing AI-related capital needs, reinforcing the view that core businesses remain healthy.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts lifted price targets after the print, including Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raising its target to $250 and keeping an outperform rating, adding to bullish sentiment. Article source
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching Morgan Stanley’s growing exposure to the AI and IPO boom, including commentary that client demand and capital-markets activity remain favorable for future results.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on MS. HSBC lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, July 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $219.55.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $218.37 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $211.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $188.52. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $136.17 and a twelve month high of $232.25. The company has a market capitalization of $344.43 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $1.15 dividend. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 36.23%.

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.