Danske Bank A S Makes New $104.10 Million Investment in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Danske Bank A/S acquired a new stake of 654,864 shares in Morgan Stanley during Q3, valued at approximately $104.10 million.
• Corporate insiders have been net sellers, disposing of 129,191 shares over the last three months worth about $23.74 million, including notable sales by Charles A. Smith and Daniel A. Simkowitz.
• Morgan Stanley beat quarterly estimates with $2.68 EPS (vs. $2.28 expected) and revenue of $17.90 billion (up 10.3% YoY), and carries an average analyst target near $187.14 (Moderate Buy).

Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 654,864 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $104,097,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MS. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 103.1% during the third quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 12,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,019,000 after purchasing an additional 6,448 shares in the last quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 467,246 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $74,273,000 after buying an additional 9,056 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 97.4% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 22,927 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,644,000 after buying an additional 11,311 shares during the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 52.6% during the 3rd quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 113,504 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,043,000 after acquiring an additional 39,104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, A4 Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at $855,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total value of $1,547,680.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 119,128 shares in the company, valued at $21,690,826.24. This trade represents a 6.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $6,020,286.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at $65,254,222.62. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $157.89 on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $192.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $250.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.46, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $174.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $168.49. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management announced it surpassed $1 trillion in IRA assets under management — a credibility and fee-growth milestone for the advisory business that supports recurring revenue and investor confidence. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Surpasses $1 Trillion in Individual Retirement Account Assets Under Management
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s infrastructure arm agreed to sell its stake in the Bayonne Energy Center — a realization event for its private infrastructure platform that can improve reported results for MSIM and validate deal execution. Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners Agrees to Sell Bayonne Energy Center
• Positive Sentiment: Industry reports are highlighting Morgan Stanley among attractive investment‑bank names as trading, underwriting and advisory momentum improve — supportive for valuation multiples across the group. 3 Investment Bank Stocks to Buy From a Flourishing Industry
• Neutral Sentiment: The firm’s own macro views (e.g., sticking with a June rate‑cut call) help frame expectations for net interest income and market activity — this is a mixed but market-moving stance that traders will digest alongside Fed expectations. Morgan Stanley Sticks With June Rate Cut Call as Oil Surges
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley strategists (notably Mike Wilson) have warned the market may not have bottomed — that bearish research can pressure cyclical financial names if investors rotate to defensives. Stocks haven’t hit bottom yet, says the analyst who called a ‘rolling recession’ when everyone else saw a boom
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research flagged broader risks in private credit from AI-driven disruption — commentary that could raise concerns about MS’s exposure through credit and alternative‑asset businesses. Investors will watch for how the firm hedges or discloses that exposure. Morgan Stanley says AI disruption of software will send private credit defaults surging

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MS. Wall Street Zen upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $211.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $187.14.

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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