Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Acquires 5,886 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Cambridge Investment Research Advisors increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, adding 5,886 shares and bringing its total holding to 148,721 shares worth about $26.4 million.
• Morgan Stanley recently reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.43 beating estimates and revenue rising 16% year over year to $20.58 billion.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 2.1%, while analysts currently hold a consensus Moderate Buy rating with a $206.26 price target.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 148,721 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,886 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $26,402,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 30,679 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,446,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. Hills Bank & Trust Co boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 6,875 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,221,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the period. Lawood & Co. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $1,397,000. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 28,692 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,094,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the period. Finally, Novare Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $275,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s own analysis of broader markets remains constructive, with strategists saying equities still have upside support from AI-driven growth and employment trends, even as they flag recession and bond-market risks. That keeps the firm visible in the ongoing AI-led market narrative. Morgan Stanley Remains Bullish on Equities While Flagging Recession Risks Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: The bank also helped fuel bullish sentiment in semiconductors by raising its revenue estimate for Nvidia ahead of earnings and highlighting continued upside potential, reinforcing Morgan Stanley’s influence in high-profile growth themes that investors are still rewarding. Morgan Stanley Lifts Nvidia Stock (NVDA) Price Target Ahead of Q1 Earnings, Sees ‘Continued Upside to Numbers’
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market headlines show Morgan Stanley-linked commentary spanning everything from AI infrastructure to energy and utilities, suggesting the bank is well positioned around major investor themes, though none of these articles directly change MS fundamentals today.
• Negative Sentiment: At the same time, the firm warned that a bond selloff could trigger a meaningful stock-market correction. That caution may temper enthusiasm and explains why any move higher in Morgan Stanley (MS) is modest rather than explosive. Morgan Stanley’s Wilson Warns Stock Rally at Risk From Bond Rout

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.1%

MS opened at $192.71 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $176.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $175.16. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $123.88 and a 52 week high of $197.50. The company has a market capitalization of $303.96 billion, a PE ratio of 17.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The business had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. The business's revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 36.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MS. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price 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. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wolfe Research dropped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.26.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were 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 owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 in the last 90 days. 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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