American Assets Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• American Assets Investment Management increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 43.5% in the fourth quarter, adding 40,000 shares to reach 132,000 shares valued at about $23.4 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with several firms raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at Moderate Buy with an average target of $206.26.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, beating estimates with EPS of $3.43 and revenue of $20.58 billion, and it also announced a quarterly $1.00 dividend to be paid May 15.

American Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 43.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 132,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 40,000 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 0.8% of American Assets Investment Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. American Assets Investment Management LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $23,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 1,855.6% in the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on MS. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, HSBC boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $206.26.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE MS opened at $192.99 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $121.46 and a 12 month high of $194.83. The stock has a market cap of $304.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.22. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $172.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: DBS Bank raised its price target on Morgan Stanley to $220 from $185, signaling more upside potential. DBS Bank price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lifted FY2027 earnings estimates for Morgan Stanley, while keeping a Buy rating, reinforcing confidence in longer-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS also increased its Morgan Stanley price target to $214 from $196, adding to the wave of bullish revisions. UBS price target update

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the 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 sale, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

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.

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