AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Has $127.27 Million Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc trimmed its Morgan Stanley stake by 7.2% in Q4 to 716,857 shares worth $127.27 million, representing about 1.5% of AEGON's holdings and the firm's 12th-largest position.
• Insider selling has been notable recently: Daniel Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares (~$6.02M) and Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares (~$9.74M), with insiders offloading 110,444 shares (~$20.67M) over the past three months and insiders now owning ~0.17% of the stock.
• Morgan Stanley beat expectations with EPS of $3.43 vs. $3.02 and revenue of $20.58B (up 16% YoY), declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend (2.1% yield), and saw several analysts raise price targets (consensus target ≈ $201.89).

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lessened its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 716,857 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 55,638 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up about 1.5% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $127,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,855.6% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 110,444 shares of company stock worth $20,665,049. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: MSIM launched a Stablecoin Reserves Portfolio (MSNXX) aimed at stablecoin issuers — a new money‑market/reserve solution that positions Morgan Stanley as a provider of regulatory‑aligned cash reserves for the growing payment‑stablecoin market. This is strategically important because it can win fee income, strengthen MS’s digital‑assets franchise and deepen client relationships in crypto. MS stablecoin reserves fund
• Positive Sentiment: Third‑party analyst activity is supportive: BNP Paribas Exane raised its price target on MS to $205 (from $195), citing upside vs. the share price — a clear vote of confidence that can help investor sentiment. BNP Paribas raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and research note coverage (Zacks, other outlets) continue to highlight MS as a solid momentum/dividend and growth play — reinforcing buy‑side interest in the wealth‑management and capital‑markets franchises that drive recurring revenue. Zacks momentum coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley expanded market infrastructure ties (e.g., added as an NZX clearing participant) and continues to show institutional product rollout — incremental business development but not immediately earnings‑material. NZX clearing participant
• Neutral Sentiment: MS has been cited across media coverage for analyst model updates and sector research (examples: packaged‑foods coverage updates, biopharma model tweaks). These signals illustrate active franchise research but don’t directly move MS’s revenues. MS analyst activity examples
• Negative Sentiment: Intraday weakness likely reflects profit‑taking/positioning and options‑oriented selling: Schaeffer and other options commentators recently highlighted bearish trades tied to MS, which can amplify short‑term downward pressure. Lower-than‑average volume today (per background data) also suggests a thinner market exacerbating small sell flows. Schaeffer options note

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $188.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $171.90. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $112.03 and a 1 year high of $194.59. The company has a market capitalization of $297.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 14.65%.The business had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 36.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MS. HSBC raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Citizens Jmp restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Argus raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Barclays raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $201.89.

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.

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