Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 85,138 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $17,791,000.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. North Star Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $469,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $91,164,000. Blue Edge Capital LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $2,011,000. Finally, Pointe Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $275,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Morgan Stanley Price Performance
Morgan Stanley stock opened at $214.69 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $145.65 and a 12-month high of $232.25. The stock has a market cap of $338.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.36, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $216.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $195.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.31%. Morgan Stanley's revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.
Morgan Stanley announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were issued a $1.15 dividend. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 37.19%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
MS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $243.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $224.75.
View Our Latest Research Report on Morgan Stanley
More Morgan Stanley News
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Industry tailwinds support the outlook: Zacks identified Morgan Stanley among investment banks positioned to benefit from increased technology spending, active trading, and stronger underwriting and advisory activity. These trends could support revenue growth across wealth management and institutional securities. 3 Investment Bank Stocks Set to Benefit From Industry Tailwinds
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings momentum remains a fundamental support: Morgan Stanley’s latest quarterly results showed adjusted earnings per share of $3.46, well above the $2.89 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 27.1% year over year to $21.35 billion. However, these results were released earlier and do not represent a fresh trading catalyst.
- Neutral Sentiment: Investment-banking activity remains visible: Morgan Stanley was listed among institutional buyers in recent Indian transactions involving Purple Style Labs and Lenskart. These deals may generate advisory or underwriting revenue, but the announcements do not appear material enough to directly affect MS shares. Purple Style Raises Funds Ahead of IPO
Morgan Stanley Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Recommended Stories

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat
Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.
Before you consider Morgan Stanley, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Morgan Stanley wasn't on the list.
While Morgan Stanley currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Nuclear energy is entering a new growth cycle as rising power demand, expanding data centers, and renewed policy support bring the sector back into focus. After strong gains in recent years, the most impactful phase of nuclear investment may still be ahead.
This report highlights seven nuclear energy stocks positioned across the value chain—combining near-term revenue with long-term upside as next-generation technologies scale. Click the link below to unlock the full list.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.