Hamlin Capital Management LLC Has $247.90 Million Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Hamlin Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Morgan Stanley by 7.7% in Q4 to 1,396,357 shares (about $247.9 million), with Morgan Stanley representing roughly 5.9% of the fund’s holdings and its largest position.
• Morgan Stanley beat Q4 expectations with $2.68 EPS vs. $2.28 expected and revenue of $17.90 billion (up 10.3% YoY), and it pays a $1.00 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~2.5%).
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $187.14 target, alongside several upward price-target revisions (e.g., BNP Paribas $195, RBC $207) and a mix of Strong Buy/Buy/Hold opinions.

Hamlin Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,396,357 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 117,044 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up about 5.9% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its largest position. Hamlin Capital Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Morgan Stanley worth $247,895,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,856 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $862,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the period. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 93,569 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $16,611,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 11,574 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,055,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Henrickson Nauta Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $278,000. Finally, Everpar Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $207.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $187.14.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.8%

MS stock opened at $161.47 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.56. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $192.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $256.39 billion, a PE ratio of 15.81, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The firm had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.18%.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley formally advanced its spot Bitcoin ETF registration (ticker MSBT), disclosing $1M seed capital, planned NYSE Arca listing, custodial partners (Coinbase/BNY Mellon) and named authorized participants — a potential new product that could bring fee revenue, increase client asset flows and reinforce MS’s digital-asset positioning. Morgan Stanley advances MSBT Bitcoin ETF with amended SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: MS research is publishing macro downside scenarios (e.g., elevated European gas risk and earlier ECB hikes) and revised rate‑cut timing — these calls can drive market volatility and trading flows that affect MS’s trading & principal revenues but are not direct corporate fundamentals. Europe gas refill risks rise; MS flags €90 TTF scenario
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley limited redemptions in a private‑credit vehicle and publicly flagged rising default/liquidity risk in parts of private credit — a near‑term negative for asset‑management fee stability, client confidence and potential reputational risk if outflows/credit losses broaden. Investors may be re‑pricing wealth & asset‑management exposure. Morgan Stanley Tests Private Credit Liquidity As AI Risks Surface

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total value of $5,569,194.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 280,481 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. This represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at $65,254,222.62. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

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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