Conning Inc. Has $33.96 Million Stake in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Conning Inc. trimmed its Morgan Stanley stake by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, but still held 191,282 shares valued at about $33.96 million. Morgan Stanley remained its 22nd-largest position and made up about 1.1% of the portfolio.
• Morgan Stanley posted a strong quarterly beat, reporting $3.43 EPS versus estimates of $3.02 on revenue of $20.58 billion, while revenue rose 16% year over year. Analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with a $206.26 price target.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, or $4.00 annualized, for a yield of about 2.1%. Meanwhile, insiders have been selling shares, including recent transactions by Eric F. Grossman and Andrew M. Saperstein.

Conning Inc. reduced its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 13.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 191,282 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 28,821 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises about 1.1% of Conning Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $33,958,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Dbs Bank lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.26.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $194.40 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $175.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $174.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $123.88 and a 1 year high of $197.50. The firm has a market cap of $306.63 billion, a PE ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.60 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its S&P 500 outlook to 8,000 for year-end and 8,300 over 12 months, signaling confidence in the broader equity backdrop and the bank’s market strategy. Article: The stock market doesn’t need Fed cuts, says Morgan Stanley as it rachets S&P 500 view higher
• Positive Sentiment: The firm is being cited in several bullish sector calls, including bullish commentary on Ford and other stocks, which keeps Morgan Stanley visible as a leading voice in equity research and capital markets. Article: Ford's Best 2-Day Rally Since 2020: History Says A 200% Year Could Follow
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was also tied to a new digital bond-market initiative through LTX, suggesting continued investment in electronic fixed-income trading infrastructure rather than a direct earnings catalyst. Article: 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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