Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Banco Santander S.A.

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. trimmed its Morgan Stanley stake by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 4,857 shares and ending with 416,761 shares valued at about $73.99 million.
• Morgan Stanley beat quarterly expectations, reporting earnings of $3.43 per share versus the $3.02 consensus and revenue of $20.58 billion, up 16% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on MS, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.35; the stock was trading near its 52-week high at $214.19.

Banco Santander S.A. decreased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 416,761 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,857 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up about 0.6% of Banco Santander S.A.'s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $73,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position 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 valued at $21,253,554,000 after acquiring an additional 1,361,940 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 27,321,214 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,343,523,000 after acquiring an additional 167,487 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 27,070,557 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,786,350,000 after acquiring an additional 534,708 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,018,335 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,441,505,000 after acquiring an additional 524,189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,736,648,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of MS stock opened at $214.19 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $128.81 and a fifty-two week high of $219.16. The stock has a market cap of $337.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $193.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The business had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. CICC Research boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Evercore increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Morgan Stanley to $187 from $179 while keeping a neutral rating, signaling improved expectations even though the new target still implies downside from current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Media coverage highlighted Morgan Stanley’s “wide awake” posture on M&A opportunities as the bank pursues a $10 trillion wealth-management ambition, which could support longer-term growth through acquisitions in advisors, private markets, and alternatives.
• Positive Sentiment: Additional reports emphasized Morgan Stanley’s continued strength in wealth management and its willingness to expand through inorganic growth, reinforcing the market’s view that the firm has multiple avenues for revenue growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted Morgan Stanley’s stock has climbed near its 52-week high, which may be drawing attention to valuation and limiting upside in the near term.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate to $11.97 from $12.00, a minor change that does not appear to have altered the broader bullish tone.
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary continues to frame Morgan Stanley’s valuation as stretched after a strong rally, and the stock’s proximity to its 52-week high may prompt profit-taking.

Morgan Stanley 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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