Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Has $39.72 Million Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 3.1% in Q4, ending with 223,747 shares valued at about $39.7 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported better-than-expected earnings for the quarter, with EPS of $3.43 versus $3.02 estimated and revenue of $20.58 billion versus $19.23 billion expected.
• Analysts have turned more bullish on the stock: several firms raised price targets, and the consensus rating now stands at Moderate Buy with an average target of $206.26.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 223,747 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,747 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $39,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during 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 during the period. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were 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 owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their position. 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 three months. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: DBS Bank raised its price target on Morgan Stanley to $220 from $185, signaling more upside potential. DBS Bank price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lifted FY2027 earnings estimates for Morgan Stanley, while keeping a Buy rating, reinforcing confidence in longer-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS also increased its Morgan Stanley price target to $214 from $196, adding to the wave of bullish revisions. UBS price target update

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of MS stock opened at $192.99 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $304.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $121.46 and a 12-month high of $194.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $172.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.64.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MS shares. Argus upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Bank of America upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $206.26.

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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