Bessemer Group Inc. Sells 629,894 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. cut its Morgan Stanley stake by 46.1% in Q1, selling 629,894 shares and leaving it with 737,832 shares valued at about $121.4 million.
• Morgan Stanley posted strong Q2 earnings, with EPS of $3.46 and revenue of $21.35 billion, both topping expectations and up sharply year over year.
• The company also boosted shareholder returns by authorizing a $20 billion stock buyback and raising its quarterly dividend to $1.15 per share, a 15% increase.

Bessemer Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 46.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 737,832 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 629,894 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $121,426,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reported blockbuster Q2 2026 results, with record net revenues of about $21.3 billion and earnings that beat expectations, reinforcing confidence in the company’s core businesses. Morgan Stanley (MS) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenues and Strategic Growth ...
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share, a 15% increase from the prior quarter, which signals confidence in earnings power and capital return capacity.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the earnings release, with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raising its price target to $250 and Erste Group lifting FY2027 EPS estimates, suggesting more upside may remain. Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $225.00 to $250.00
• Neutral Sentiment: New reports also pointed to Morgan Stanley’s E*TRADE crypto rollout and AI-related market activity, which could help broaden its platform appeal over time but are not likely the main short-term drivers of the stock move.
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles noted a downgrade-style view from Seeking Alpha and a JPMorgan target below the current share price, which may temper enthusiasm at the margin even after the strong earnings beat. Morgan Stanley Maintains Hold on Comstock Resources, Keeps Price Target Unchanged at $16 Amid Cash Outspend and Funding Concerns

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Argus upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research decreased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $220.80.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $215.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $339.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.40, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The business's 50-day moving average price is $211.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $188.71. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $136.17 and a 12 month high of $232.25.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. The business had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.51%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.14 EPS for the current year.

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

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $1.15 dividend. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.23%.

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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