Morgan Stanley $MS is Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY's 4th Largest Position

Key Points

• Matrix Asset Advisors trimmed its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3% in Q4 to 260,503 shares (~$46.25M), which represents about 4.2% of the fund's portfolio and is its fourth-largest holding.
• Insider selling has been notable: insiders sold 129,191 MS shares in the past 90 days, including CFO Sharon Yeshaya (15,838 shares) and Daniel Simkowitz (32,968 shares), and insiders now own 0.19% of the company.
• Earnings and outlook: Morgan Stanley beat Q4 estimates with $2.68 EPS and $17.90B revenue, pays a $1.00 quarterly dividend (4.00 annualized, 2.4% yield), and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Hold" with a $185.73 target.

Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY decreased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 260,503 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 7,925 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 4.2% of Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY's portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $46,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 19.6% during the 2nd quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC now owns 3,997 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 13.4% in the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 34,651 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,881,000 after purchasing an additional 4,097 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 9.3% during the second quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 25,124 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,539,000 after purchasing an additional 2,142 shares during the period. Finally, River Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 19.3% in the second quarter. River Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,917 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total value of $2,942,225.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 135,304 shares in the company, valued at $25,135,424.08. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of MS stock opened at $166.30 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $264.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.19. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $192.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $169.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.20.

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

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $171.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. HSBC decreased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $153.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Evercore lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $185.73.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: E*Trade (Morgan Stanley’s retail arm) is in talks to lead SpaceX’s U.S. retail IPO allocation — if confirmed this would strengthen MS’s retail distribution and fee pipeline and could boost E*Trade account activity and underwriting revenue. Morgan Stanley's E*Trade in talks to lead SpaceX IPO share sale to small investors in US: Sources
• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research cut its MS price target (221→197) but maintained an “Outperform” rating — signals continued buy-side conviction from a major shop despite a model reset, supporting upside expectations. Wolfe Research adjusts PT on Morgan Stanley to $197 from $221; maintains Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s strategic push into alternatives (EquityZen deal, private credit growth) is highlighted as an AUM-growth catalyst — a longer-term revenue diversification story that could lift fee income and valuation multiple. Morgan Stanley's Push Into Alternatives: Is It an AUM Growth Catalyst?
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile endorsement: coverage noting billionaire Paul Tudor Jones is bullish on Morgan Stanley reinforces demand-side narrative among some institutional investors. Morgan Stanley (MS): Billionaire Paul Tudor Jones Is Bullish on This Banking Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley strategists recommended a more defensive positioning for clients (higher cash/Treasury allocations) — this is a macro view that can temper sector rotation and volatility but is not a direct company-specific catalyst. It’s time to get defensive, say Morgan Stanley strategists. Hold more cash and make these moves.
• Negative Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn trimmed their PT on MS to $171 and kept a neutral rating — a downward revision that can weigh on near-term sentiment. Rothschild & Co Redburn adjusts PT on Morgan Stanley to $171 from $175; maintains Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: HSBC lowered its MS price target to $153 and kept a Hold rating — the cut increases the number of outside analysts signaling limited near-term upside and may pressure headline sentiment. HSBC adjusts price target on Morgan Stanley to $153 from $175; maintains Hold

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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