Boston Common Asset Management LLC Sells 14,428 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Boston Common Asset Management cut its Morgan Stanley stake by 6.4%, selling 14,428 shares and now owning 212,606 shares worth about $37.7 million, which represents ~1.9% of its portfolio and is its ninth-largest holding.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently — notably Michael A. Pizzi and Eric F. Grossman sold a combined 41,555 shares on Jan. 20, and insiders have sold 129,191 shares (~$23.7 million) over the past 90 days, with insiders now owning just 0.19% of the stock.
• Morgan Stanley beat Q4 estimates (EPS $2.68 vs. $2.28 consensus), declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 (approx. 2.5% yield), and is pursuing strategic initiatives — including a low-fee spot Bitcoin ETF and high-profile equity research calls — that may drive future fee income and client flows.

Boston Common Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 212,606 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 14,428 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 1.9% of Boston Common Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Boston Common Asset Management LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $37,744,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MS. Central Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,767 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Howard Financial Services LTD. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 3,579 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $635,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,843 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $929,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,729 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.1% in the third quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 3,120 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $496,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Evercore cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a report on Friday, January 16th. HSBC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $187.14.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley priced a low‑fee spot Bitcoin ETF (record‑low fee reported), signalling a competitive push into digital‑asset distribution that could win advisor flows and AUM over time — positive for future fee income and market positioning. Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF Push Recasts Its Digital Asset Ambitions
• Positive Sentiment: Research franchise boosting client engagement: Morgan Stanley elevated Meta to a top pick and highlighted AI/security winners (Microsoft, CrowdStrike among top AI security bets). Strong, visible research can drive advisory mandates, trading flows and investment‑banking touchpoints. ‘It’s time to buy Meta.’ Why Morgan Stanley sees 45% upside for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley published a top‑5 AI security stock list (MSFT, CRWD highlighted), reinforcing its tech research leadership and potential deal/placement opportunities in fast‑growing cybersecurity themes. Microsoft, CrowdStrike Lead Among Morgan Stanley's Top 5 AI Security Bets
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro positioning commentary from Morgan Stanley (S&P correction nearing an end) signals caution but also a tactical buy narrative — this guidance can temper client risk taking and influence trading and asset‑management flows in the short term. S&P 500 Selloff Is ‘Getting Closer to Its Ending Stages,’ Says Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/regulatory risk: an FT report says a Morgan Stanley wealth manager approached BlackRock about a multimillion‑dollar defence fund tied to a senior government official — such stories can raise compliance and reputational questions for a wealth manager and could weigh on sentiment. Pete Hegseth’s broker looked to buy defence fund before Iran attack

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.1%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $158.25 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $170.48 and a 200-day moving average of $169.16. The company has a market cap of $251.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $192.68.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 39.18%.

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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