Mission Wealth Management LP Buys 9,172 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Mission Wealth Management increased its Morgan Stanley position by 112.9% in the second quarter, purchasing 9,172 additional shares to hold 17,293 shares valued at approximately $3.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 84.19% of the company.
• Morgan Stanley reported quarterly EPS of $3.46, beating estimates of $2.89, while revenue rose 27.1% year over year to $21.35 billion. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $224.75.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.15 per share and authorized a $20 billion stock-repurchase program, allowing buybacks of up to 5.6% of outstanding shares.

Mission Wealth Management LP boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 112.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,293 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 9,172 shares during the quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,615,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,718,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $21,253,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,940 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 103,854,751 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,437,334,000 after purchasing an additional 539,544 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 27,070,557 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,786,350,000 after purchasing an additional 534,708 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,018,335 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,441,505,000 after purchasing an additional 524,189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 16,326,676 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,686,881,000 after purchasing an additional 87,533 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on MS. Bank of America upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $224.75.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings forecast: Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS estimate for Morgan Stanley to $13.70 from $13.65 and maintained a Buy rating. The estimate is above the broader consensus of $12.79, supporting the view that continued investment-banking, trading and wealth-management strength could drive earnings growth. Erste Group raises Morgan Stanley earnings estimate
• Positive Sentiment: $1.5 trillion innovation initiative: Morgan Stanley launched a U.S. Innovation Infrastructure Initiative targeting approximately $1.5 trillion in capital for infrastructure, technology and national-security-related investment. The program could expand the firm’s role in capital raising, advisory services and asset management, although the financial benefit is expected to develop over time. Morgan Stanley innovation infrastructure initiative
• Positive Sentiment: Real-estate investment deployment: Morgan Stanley Investment Management acquired a 1.5-million-square-foot Ace Hardware distribution facility in Kansas City for $158.5 million through its real-estate funds. The transaction demonstrates continued deployment of client capital and adds to Morgan Stanley’s alternative-investment platform, though it is not expected to materially affect near-term results. Morgan Stanley acquires Kansas City distribution facility
• Neutral Sentiment: Favorable market backdrop: Commentary comparing Morgan Stanley with Bank of America highlighted stronger capital-markets activity, trading volumes and improving investment-banking conditions in the first half of 2026. However, the comparison also noted Morgan Stanley’s relatively higher valuation and greater market exposure, which may limit upside if deal activity or trading conditions weaken. Bank of America versus Morgan Stanley investment comparison

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $217.71 on Thursday. The business's 50 day moving average is $216.74 and its 200 day moving average is $192.55. The stock has a market cap of $343.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $141.03 and a 52-week high of $232.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.19%.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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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