Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Lowers Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Connor Clark & Lunn trimmed its stake in Morgan Stanley by 13.4% in Q3, selling 82,978 shares and ending the quarter with 535,132 shares valued at about $85.07 million.
• Morgan Stanley beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.68 vs. $2.28 expected; revenue $17.90B vs. $17.69B) and recently paid a $1.00 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.00, ~2.5% yield).
• The firm faces mixed signals: it is hiring contract staff in Hong Kong amid stronger IPO activity, but has restricted redemptions in a private‑credit fund after ~11% withdrawals, and insiders have sold about 129,191 shares (~$23.7M) recently.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. cut its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 535,132 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 82,978 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $85,065,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 91.9% during the 3rd quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $38,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $160.88 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $177.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.18. The company has a market cap of $255.45 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $192.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MS shares. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Evercore downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $211.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, HSBC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $187.14.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is hiring contract staff in Hong Kong to handle a surge in IPOs and listings — a sign of stronger investment‑banking deal flow in Asia that could boost fees if activity continues. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Street support: at least one major bank recently nudged Morgan Stanley’s modeled upside (price‑target lift noted in market reports), which can attract buyers and help underpin the stock in the near term.
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic initiatives and partnerships (EquityZen buyout, crypto custody tie‑ups, conference presentations) are being highlighted by coverage as longer‑term growth levers for wealth and markets businesses; these are strategic positives but take time to show through in results. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley restricted redemptions at one of its private‑credit funds after investors sought to withdraw ~11% of the fund — a liquidity/flow strain that raises questions about mark‑to‑market, client confidence, and potential reputational or capital impacts for the direct‑lending franchise. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Independent coverage and investor pieces are flagging risks in the direct‑lending / private‑credit business (discounts to NAV, yield dynamics), which could pressure valuations or fund distributions if outflows continue. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total transaction of $1,547,680.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 119,128 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,690,826.24. This trade represents a 6.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 127,872 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,598,777.60. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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