Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Bought by Legal & General Group Plc

Key Points

• Legal & General raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.4% to 8,411,335 shares, representing 0.53% of the company and valued at about $1.337 billion at the end of the quarter.
• Morgan Stanley beat expectations with $2.68 EPS vs. $2.28 expected and $17.90 billion in revenue (up 10.3% YoY), and it pays a $1.00 quarterly dividend ($4.00 annual, ~2.5% yield).
• The firm announced a restructuring to cut roughly 2,500 jobs (~3% of the workforce) to improve margins, while insiders sold about 129,191 shares (~$23.7 million) recently; analysts hold a "Moderate Buy" consensus with a $185.93 average price target.

Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,411,335 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 274,934 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.53% of Morgan Stanley worth $1,337,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 91.9% in the third quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.3%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $160.70 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $192.68. The company has a market capitalization of $255.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $177.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.14.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The company had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 39.18%.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s market team (Michael Wilson) said the S&P 500 may be “closer to the end” of the recent rolling correction — a call that can lift investor sentiment and boost trading/wealth-management flows that benefit MS. S&P 500: Morgan Stanley says ’we’re closer to the end of this rolling correction’
• Positive Sentiment: The firm announced a restructuring that trims about 2,500 jobs (~3% of workforce) aimed at improving cost efficiency and margins — investors often view targeted cuts as margin-accretion moves that support EPS over time. Morgan Stanley Job Cuts Test Cost Efficiency And Long Term Growth Plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research continues to move the tape: the bank raised coverage/targets on names such as Travelers (TRV) and upgraded other stocks, which reinforces MS’s role as a market-moving sell-side franchise that supports fee revenue. Morgan Stanley Raises The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) Target on Underwriting Strength
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst activity is mixed (upgrades and downgrades across sectors — e.g., Novo Nordisk upgrade, IBM PT cut). That keeps MS prominent on headlines but produces mixed signals for trading flow and reputation effects. Morgan Stanley Upgrades Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) to Equal Weight From Underweight – Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research and wealth teams flag political and geopolitical risks (a published list of seven risks) that could keep volatility elevated — higher volatility can hurt markets and reduce deal activity and asset-gathering. That is a headwind for banks and wealth managers like MS. Morgan Stanley identifies 7 political risks hitting investors

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Dbs Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.93.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at $23,598,777.60. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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