GSA Capital Partners LLP Boosts Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 294.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 9,628 shares valued at about $1.71 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.43 beating estimates and revenue of $20.58 billion topping expectations; revenue rose 16% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with several price target increases and a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” at a target price of $205.95.

GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 294.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,628 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,190 shares during the quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,709,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. increased 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 acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 in the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $189.58 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $176.74 and its 200 day moving average is $175.35. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $123.88 and a fifty-two week high of $197.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.02 billion, a PE ratio of 17.17, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.60 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 36.23%.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: CICC Research lifted its price target on Morgan Stanley (MS) to $200 and reiterated an Outperform view, reinforcing bullish sentiment from analysts. MarketScreener
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s strategists said the stock market can still benefit from AI-driven growth, but they also warned that a bond-market selloff could pressure risk assets and trigger a broader pullback. Financial Post
• Neutral Sentiment: Another Morgan Stanley note said the Fed may stay on hold before cutting rates again in 2027, which reflects a measured macro view rather than a direct company-specific catalyst. TheStreet

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Citizens Jmp restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $205.95.

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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