Cwm LLC Purchases 9,961 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Cwm LLC increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 7.8% in Q4, buying 9,961 shares to hold 137,688 shares worth about $24.44 million.
• Morgan Stanley beat Q1 estimates with $3.43 EPS vs. $3.02 expected and $20.58 billion in revenue, and announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend (ex‑dividend Apr 30) implying a 2.1% yield.
• Insiders have been net sellers, disposing of 195,549 shares valued at about $36.26 million over the last 90 days (including sales by CFO Sharon Yeshaya and Andrew Saperstein), leaving insiders with 0.17% ownership.

Cwm LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 137,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,961 shares during the period. Cwm LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $24,444,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at approximately $170,037,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 40.2% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,933,604 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $466,326,000 after acquiring an additional 841,263 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 14,260,650 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,267,847,000 after acquiring an additional 822,120 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 150.3% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,234,969 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $196,311,000 after acquiring an additional 741,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at approximately $104,097,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total value of $2,942,225.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 135,304 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,135,424.08. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 195,549 shares of company stock valued at $36,260,510 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $188.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $298.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.19. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $104.78 and a 52 week high of $194.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $168.83 and a 200 day moving average of $170.67.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.89%. Morgan Stanley's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.60 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be paid 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $199.67.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: revenue and EPS surprised on the upside, driven by strong trading and investment‑banking performance and continued wealth‑management flows — the core earnings beat is the primary driver of investor optimism. MS Q1 Deep Dive: Wealth and Investment Banking Deliver
• Positive Sentiment: MSBT (Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF) has drawn >$100M in its first week — a fast start that supports asset‑gathering momentum and fee diversification at the firm. Morgan Stanley Bitcoin ETF Tops $100 Million in Six Days
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street is increasing MS valuation assumptions: several firms raised price targets and upgraded outlooks after Q1 (Bank of America, Evercore, Argus, Keefe Bruyette & Woods among them), which supports further upside narratives. Morgan Stanley Price Target Raised to $225.00 at Bank of America
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend and capital return: Morgan Stanley announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend (ex‑dividend Apr 30), signaling confidence in cash generation and returning capital to shareholders (income‑supporting but not an earnings catalyst).
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing investment banking / underwriting activity (including large debt syndications) highlights the firm’s franchise utility in markets — positive for fee pipelines but cyclically sensitive to capital‑markets activity.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory / reputational overhang: Senator Elizabeth Warren requested Fed records tied to a Fed nominee’s past actions that reference Morgan Stanley; while not an immediate earnings issue, it increases political/regulatory headline risk. Elizabeth Warren Challenges Fed Chair Nominee Kevin Warsh
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts still express caution: a few firms kept conservative ratings or raised PTs while maintaining neutral/hold views (e.g., HSBC/Rothschild adjustments), which can cap near‑term upside and prompt mixed trading. HSBC Adjusts Price Target on Morgan Stanley

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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