Central Asset Investments & Management Holdings HK Ltd Acquires 7,658 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Central Asset Investments & Management Holdings HK Ltd increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 123.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 7,658 additional shares to reach 13,873 shares worth about $2.46 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, with earnings per share of $3.43 versus the $3.02 consensus and revenue of $20.58 billion, up 16% year over year.
• The stock has seen mixed insider and analyst activity: insiders recently sold shares, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $206.26.

Central Asset Investments & Management Holdings HK Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 123.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,873 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 7,658 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 1.6% of Central Asset Investments & Management Holdings HK Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Central Asset Investments & Management Holdings HK Ltd's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,463,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,855.6% during the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. The trade was a 15.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Argus upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wolfe Research dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. One investment 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.26.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $193.99 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $123.88 and a fifty-two week high of $194.95. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $174.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $174.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $305.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.22.

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

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its S&P 500 forecast to 8,000 for year-end and 8,300 over 12 months, signaling a constructive view on equities and supporting sentiment around the firm. Morgan Stanley says S&P 500 can reach 8,300 in 12 months
• Positive Sentiment: The bank’s MSBT spot Bitcoin ETF reportedly posted strong first-month inflows and no outflows, suggesting healthy demand for Morgan Stanley-linked investment products. Morgan Stanley’s MSBT Bitcoin ETF Sees Zero Outflows in First Month
• Positive Sentiment: Recent brokerage commentary on other holdings and market strategy has kept Morgan Stanley in the spotlight as a go-to source for top-down equity views. Here’s Why Morgan Stanley (MS) Remains Bullish on Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst activity was mixed earlier in the week, with Citi lifting its price target to $194 while keeping a Neutral rating, which is supportive but not a strong catalyst by itself. Citi Raises Morgan Stanley (MS) Price Target Following Coverage Transfer
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, media coverage around Morgan Stanley’s macro calls on inflation, the yuan, and global growth keeps the bank visible, but those items are more about commentary than a direct earnings driver for MS shares. Morgan Stanley Deepens Digital Bond Push With LTX AI Partnership

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.

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