FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co Sells 203,557 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co sharply cut its Morgan Stanley stake by 97.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 203,557 shares and leaving it with 5,997 shares worth about $1.07 million.
• Morgan Stanley posted better-than-expected earnings, with Q1 EPS of $3.43 and revenue of $20.58 billion, both above analyst estimates, while revenue rose 16% year over year.
• Analysts remain mostly constructive on the stock, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $205.95; Morgan Stanley also recently paid a $1.00 quarterly dividend, implying a 2.0% annual yield.

FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co reduced its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 97.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,997 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 203,557 shares during the period. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,065,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley continued to benefit from strong recent earnings, with the company having recently beaten consensus on both EPS and revenue, reinforcing confidence in its operating performance.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted “record revenue” and rising dividends, which can help attract income-focused investors and support the stock’s valuation. Record Revenue, Rising Dividends—So Why Aren't Analysts Saying Buy? (MS)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive overall, including multiple buy-equivalent ratings and a recent price target of $610 from Morgan Stanley analyst Manan Gosalia on Broadcom-related coverage, which reflects the firm’s continued visibility across key growth themes.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some articles mention Morgan Stanley in connection with broader market calls and conference sponsorships, which are not direct catalysts for MS shares but keep the firm in the headlines.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of Morgan Stanley 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MS. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $205.95.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $203.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $321.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $182.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $177.18. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $126.35 and a 1-year high of $204.38.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.23%.

Morgan Stanley Company 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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