Capital International Investors Purchases 167,487 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.6% in Q3, buying 167,487 shares to hold 27,321,214 shares (a 1.72% stake) valued at approximately $4.34 billion.
• Insiders have been net sellers, disposing of 129,191 shares (~$23.74 million) in the past three months, including recent sales by Andrew M. Saperstein (30,330 shares at $183.62) and Michael A. Pizzi (20,000 shares at $184.55).
• Analysts and results point to cautious optimism: Morgan Stanley beat Q results (EPS $2.68 vs. $2.28; revenue $17.9B, +10.3% YoY), and the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with a $185.93 target while some firms (e.g., Barclays) have raised targets as high as $219.

Capital International Investors raised its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,321,214 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 167,487 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned 1.72% of Morgan Stanley worth $4,343,523,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Angeles Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.1% in the third 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 during the period. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.1% during 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 during the period. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,616 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $416,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,222 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,102,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 6,278 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,025,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total value of $5,569,194.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 280,481 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,501,921.22. The trade was a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at $23,598,777.60. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MS shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $211.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, HSBC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.93.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $160.70 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $177.81 and its 200 day moving average is $168.14. The stock has a market cap of $255.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $192.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.Morgan Stanley's revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. 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%.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley announced cuts of roughly 2,500 jobs as part of a restructuring aimed at improving cost efficiency and operational flexibility — investors may view this as margin‑enhancing over time if execution and one‑time charges are controlled. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research remains active and visible: the firm reinstated Nvidia as a top AI chip pick (showing strong franchise in semiconductor coverage) and has been adjusting price targets for clients such as Grainger and Travelers — positive for recurring research/IB visibility but indirect for MS’s stock performance. Article Title Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley's market commentary (saying the U.S. market should outperform and that the S&P 500 rolling correction may be nearing an end) reinforces its investment‑bank research positioning — helpful for business reputation but not an immediate catalyst for MS shares. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded Morgan Stanley from "strong‑buy" to "hold" — a direct sell‑side signal that can pressure the stock by reducing buy‑side conviction and prompting short‑term selling. Article Title

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.