E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB Sells 8,351 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB cut its stake in Morgan Stanley by 16.5%, selling 8,351 shares and leaving 42,317 shares worth about $7.51 million at quarter-end.
• Morgan Stanley beat expectations with quarterly EPS of $2.68 (vs. $2.28 est.) and revenue of $17.90 billion, and paid a $1.00 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.00, yield ~2.4%).
• Potential headwinds: insiders sold roughly 129,191 shares (~$23.7M) over the quarter, and Bloomberg/Yahoo reported the firm capped withdrawals from large private‑credit funds, signaling liquidity and reputational risk.

E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB decreased its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 16.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,317 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 8,351 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $7,513,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 103.1% in the third quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 12,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,019,000 after acquiring an additional 6,448 shares in the last quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 9,056 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 97.4% during 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 purchasing an additional 11,311 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 52.6% in the 3rd quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 113,504 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $18,043,000 after purchasing an additional 39,104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, A4 Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $855,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.7%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $164.26 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $192.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $172.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $260.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.09, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The company had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 39.18%.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s stock is benefitting from positive market commentary that highlights the firm’s recent outperformance and investor interest. A MarketBeat/Zacks write-up notes MS outpaced a broader market upswing today, reflecting supportive momentum for the bank-stock cohort following solid fundamentals. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and favorable blue‑chip rankings are supporting the tape — coverage summaries today flagged a Street upgrade/positive ranking for Morgan Stanley that can boost sentiment and attract momentum flows from funds that follow analyst action. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Income-focused investors are getting a reminder that MS remains attractive as a dividend paying bank — a Zacks piece outlines why Morgan Stanley’s dividend profile and payout stability make it appealing for yield-seeking investors, which can underpin demand from income funds. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research influence is visible in market moves elsewhere — the firm’s iPhone survey and other sector notes (e.g., on Apple) keep MS prominent in market headlines, which supports brand/flow effects but is not a direct driver of MS’s core earnings. Article
• Negative Sentiment: A headwind: Bloomberg/Yahoo report that Morgan Stanley (with Cliffwater) capped withdrawals from large private‑credit funds after redemptions exceeded limits. That signals redemption pressure in alternatives the firm manages — a reputational and potential earnings risk if flows or valuations remain challenged — and it may cap upside until clarity on fund liquidity and investor confidence returns. Article

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares of the company's stock, valued at $65,254,222.62. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total transaction of $5,569,194.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 280,481 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,501,921.22. This trade represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $207.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, HSBC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $187.14.

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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