Farther Finance Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 40.1%, buying 8,512 additional shares to hold 29,744 shares worth about $5.28 million, per its SEC filing.
• Morgan Stanley reported a strong Q1—EPS $3.43 vs. $3.02 expected and revenue $20.58B vs. $19.23B—announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend and buybacks, spurring analyst upgrades and positive momentum.
• Analyst views remain mixed (MarketBeat average rating: Hold, average target ~$197.67) while insiders have sold roughly 129,191 shares in the last 90 days and institutional investors own about 84% of the stock.

Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 40.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,744 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,512 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $5,281,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Natural Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $221,000. LOM Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. LOM Asset Management Ltd now owns 16,162 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,869,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. JM2 Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $523,000. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 25,754 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,572,000 after acquiring an additional 1,926 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $1,405,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $195.00 to $196.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research reduced their price objective 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. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $197.67.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 2.4%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $187.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $295.83 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $168.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.48. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $104.78 and a one year high of $194.59.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 39.18%.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and business momentum: MS reported stronger‑than‑expected Q1 results (EPS and revenue), driven by record markets trading, robust investment‑banking activity and wealth‑management inflows; management also announced buybacks and a $1.00 quarterly dividend. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price‑target lifts and upgrades: Several firms raised targets or ratings after the print, supporting upside case and giving investors fresh valuation anchors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New business channels: MS’s spot Bitcoin ETF attracted meaningful early inflows (~$100M+ in the first week), showing product traction and a potential recurring fee/asset channel for Wealth clients. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory / capital tailwind: CFO commentary and reporting suggest Morgan Stanley may see modest capital relief under an impending U.S. capital regime overhaul—could free capital for buybacks/dividends over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend confirmed: MS declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend (ex‑dividend date late April), which supports income investors but is priced in. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑run strategy signals: Management and CFO commentary emphasized tokenization and wealth‑platform initiatives—positive strategically but long‑term in payoff. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term profit taking / resistance: The stock has pulled back after an initial post‑earnings pop as traders locked gains; some commentators note near‑term resistance despite the beat. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and elevated expectations: Filings show insider sells and analysts flag that valuation is “hot” after the run — raising the risk of multiple compression if earnings momentum slows. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/regulatory headlines remain a wildcard: Broader market moves (geopolitics, rates) and political probes into past Fed actions can periodically re‑rate big banks. Read More.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total transaction of $5,569,194.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 280,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. This represents a 9.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506 in the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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