Alcosta Capital Management Inc. Buys New Shares in Morgan Stanley $MS

Alcosta Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 22,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,065,000. Morgan Stanley comprises about 2.6% of Alcosta Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. Peak Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $385,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $2,175,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 9,171,655 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,628,244,000 after buying an additional 83,472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.3% during the 4th quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 26,451 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,696,000 after buying an additional 13,934 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS opened at $214.19 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $193.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $128.81 and a 1 year high of $219.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $337.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. Morgan Stanley's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.60 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 36.23%.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Morgan Stanley to $187 from $179 while keeping a neutral rating, signaling improved expectations even though the new target still implies downside from current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Media coverage highlighted Morgan Stanley’s “wide awake” posture on M&A opportunities as the bank pursues a $10 trillion wealth-management ambition, which could support longer-term growth through acquisitions in advisors, private markets, and alternatives.
• Positive Sentiment: Additional reports emphasized Morgan Stanley’s continued strength in wealth management and its willingness to expand through inorganic growth, reinforcing the market’s view that the firm has multiple avenues for revenue growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted Morgan Stanley’s stock has climbed near its 52-week high, which may be drawing attention to valuation and limiting upside in the near term.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate to $11.97 from $12.00, a minor change that does not appear to have altered the broader bullish tone.
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary continues to frame Morgan Stanley’s valuation as stretched after a strong rally, and the stock’s proximity to its 52-week high may prompt profit-taking.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $189.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $206.35.

Morgan Stanley Company 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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