First National Advisers LLC Lowers Stake in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• First National Advisers LLC cut its Morgan Stanley stake by 19.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,315 shares and leaving it with 26,224 shares valued at about $4.66 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.43 beating estimates of $3.02 and revenue of $20.58 billion topping expectations; revenue rose 16% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, implying an annualized yield of 2.1%, while analysts currently maintain a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy.”

First National Advisers LLC lowered its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 19.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,224 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,315 shares during the quarter. First National Advisers LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $4,656,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $190.89 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $301.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.22. The firm's fifty day moving average is $173.41 and its 200 day moving average is $174.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $123.88 and a 52-week high of $194.83.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion for 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 17.70%. Morgan Stanley's revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 36.23%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the sale, the insider owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 over the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Dbs Bank boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $206.26.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was highlighted in multiple pieces as a supportive analyst name, with recent coverage noting a “moderate buy” consensus and a dividend-focused bull case for the stock. That can help reinforce investor confidence in MS as a quality financial name.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm is expanding into lower-fee crypto trading for retail investors, offering Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana at competitive prices. That move could be viewed as a growth initiative that broadens Morgan Stanley’s appeal to younger and more active clients. Will Lower Crypto Fees Help Morgan Stanley Win Retail Investors?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s macro team said Tuesday’s CPI report could come in “spicier” than expected, keeping inflation and Federal Reserve expectations in focus. That’s more of a market-wide trading catalyst than a direct MS fundamental driver. Morgan Stanley Sees ‘Spicier’ CPI as Inflation Week Kicks Off
• Neutral Sentiment: Other recent Morgan Stanley commentary focused on oil-market risks from a possible Strait of Hormuz disruption, which may affect broader risk sentiment and rates/commodity expectations, but does not directly change MS’s operating outlook. Oil Market in ‘Race Against Time’ on Hormuz, Morgan Stanley Says

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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