Marble Wealth LLC Takes $1.26 Million Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Marble Wealth LLC initiated a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter, buying 7,081 shares valued at about $1.26 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.43 and revenue of $20.58 billion, both above analyst expectations. Revenue rose 16% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but broadly positive: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating, with a consensus target price of $205.95, while several firms recently raised targets or upgraded the shares.

Marble Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,081 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,257,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 69.0% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 8,964 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,263,000 after purchasing an additional 3,661 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 90.9% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,148 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,378,000 after purchasing an additional 7,688 shares in the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 263,575 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,127,000 after buying an additional 15,623 shares during the period. Finally, Jupiter Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Jupiter Wealth Management LLC now owns 52,825 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,805,000 after buying an additional 3,807 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MS. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $189.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Evercore lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $205.95.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the transaction, the insider owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. The trade was a 15.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $215.13 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $339.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $127.13 and a 52-week high of $217.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company's 50 day moving average price is $184.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.79.

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

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 36.23%.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Financial stocks are trading higher, giving Morgan Stanley a sector tailwind as investors rotate into banks and capital markets names.
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital led a $33 million growth financing for Subtle Medical, highlighting continued deal activity and exposure to AI-related healthcare investing. Business Wire: Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital Leads 33 Million Growth Financing For Subtle Medical
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings results were strong, with Morgan Stanley beating both EPS and revenue estimates, which has likely helped sustain investor confidence in the 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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