Bamco Inc. NY Takes Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 9,620 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,011,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 69.0% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 8,964 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,263,000 after purchasing an additional 3,661 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 90.9% in the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,148 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,378,000 after purchasing an additional 7,688 shares during the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 6.3% during the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 263,575 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,127,000 after purchasing an additional 15,623 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 7.8% during the second quarter. Jupiter Wealth Management LLC now owns 52,825 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,805,000 after purchasing an additional 3,807 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $215.09 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $339.27 billion, a PE ratio of 17.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $145.65 and a 12-month high of $232.25. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $216.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.18.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 37.19%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. HSBC lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $224.75.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Morgan Stanley from “Hold” to “Strong Buy.” The upgrade provides a near-term sentiment boost and reflects confidence in the firm’s earnings trajectory and valuation. Zacks Morgan Stanley upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analysis highlighted Morgan Stanley’s strong first-half 2026 performance. Investors are responding to growth across the business, improving diversification, a recovery in investment banking, and a solid capital position. These factors support expectations for sustained earnings growth. Morgan Stanley first-half 2026 results analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s latest reported quarter showed adjusted earnings of $3.46 per share and revenue of $21.35 billion, exceeding consensus estimates. Revenue increased 27.1% year over year, while return on equity reached 19.31%, reinforcing the bullish fundamental backdrop.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent Morgan Stanley research notes on other companies—including insurance, technology, energy and consumer stocks—may increase the firm’s research visibility, but they are not expected to materially affect Morgan Stanley’s own earnings in the near term. Morgan Stanley insurance stock recommendations

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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