Moody Lynn Lieberson & Walker LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Moody Lynn Lieberson & Walker increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 2.8% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 256,389 shares worth approximately $53.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 84.19% of Morgan Stanley.
• Morgan Stanley reported a strong quarter, with EPS of $3.46 beating estimates of $2.89 and revenue rising 27.1% year over year to $21.35 billion. The company also authorized a $20 billion share buyback and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.15.
• Analyst sentiment remains moderately positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $224.75 versus the reported share price of $217.71, although some analysts cited valuation and market-exposure risks.

Moody Lynn Lieberson & Walker LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 256,389 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,022 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 2.8% of Moody Lynn Lieberson & Walker LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Moody Lynn Lieberson & Walker LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $53,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth 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 during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 69.0% in the second 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 during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 90.9% in the second 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 during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its holdings 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 valued at $37,127,000 after purchasing an additional 15,623 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $7,805,000 after purchasing an additional 3,807 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.2%

MS opened at $217.71 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $141.03 and a 12-month high of $232.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $343.39 billion, a PE ratio of 17.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.22. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $216.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $192.55.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $21.35 billion during 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 37.19%.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $243.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $224.75.

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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