Bessemer Group Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. cut its Morgan Stanley stake by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 51,875 shares and leaving it with 1,367,726 shares valued at about $242.8 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains broadly positive: analysts currently rate Morgan Stanley a Moderate Buy, with a consensus target price of $206.26 after several firms raised their price objectives.
• Morgan Stanley recently beat earnings expectations, reporting $3.43 EPS on revenue of $20.58 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, or $4.00 annually.

Bessemer Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,367,726 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 51,875 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.09% of Morgan Stanley worth $242,813,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. boosted 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Citigroup raised their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $206.26.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE MS opened at $194.40 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $123.88 and a 12 month high of $197.50. The stock has a market cap of $306.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.22. The company's 50 day moving average is $175.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.78. 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 - 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. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.60 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the sale, the insider owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its S&P 500 outlook to 8,000 for year-end and 8,300 over 12 months, signaling confidence in the broader equity backdrop and the bank’s market strategy. Article: The stock market doesn’t need Fed cuts, says Morgan Stanley as it rachets S&P 500 view higher
• Positive Sentiment: The firm is being cited in several bullish sector calls, including bullish commentary on Ford and other stocks, which keeps Morgan Stanley visible as a leading voice in equity research and capital markets. Article: Ford's Best 2-Day Rally Since 2020: History Says A 200% Year Could Follow
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was also tied to a new digital bond-market initiative through LTX, suggesting continued investment in electronic fixed-income trading infrastructure rather than a direct earnings catalyst. Article: Morgan Stanley Deepens Digital Bond Push With LTX AI Partnership

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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