Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Bokf Na

Key Points

• Bokf Na reduced its stake in Morgan Stanley by 5.9% in Q4, selling 6,650 shares and now holds 105,330 shares valued at $18,699,000; institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the stock.
• Morgan Stanley beat expectations with $3.43 EPS versus $3.02 expected and revenue of $20.58B, and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share (annualized $4.00, ~2.1% yield).
• Analysts rate MS an average "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $203.17, while recent catalyst news includes leading a ~$13B Meta financing and bullish AI capex forecasts, offset by a preliminary U.S. probe into its Budapest investment‑banking program.

Bokf Na reduced its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 105,330 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,650 shares during the period. Bokf Na's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $18,699,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MS. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.2% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,361,940 shares during the period. Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $170,037,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 40.2% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,933,604 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $466,326,000 after acquiring an additional 841,263 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 14,260,650 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,267,847,000 after purchasing an additional 822,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 150.3% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,234,969 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $196,311,000 after purchasing an additional 741,651 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Evercore boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $203.17.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.6%

MS stock opened at $189.21 on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $117.21 and a 52-week high of $194.59. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $171.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $173.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The business had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 36.23%.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was tapped to help lead a roughly $13 billion financing for Meta’s El Paso data‑center project — a sizable investment‑banking mandate that supports fee and underwriting revenue expectations. Meta taps Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan for El Paso data center deal
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research is highlighting a massive surge in hyperscaler AI capex (big‑tech spending seen near ~$800B in 2026). That outlook supports investment‑banking, markets activity and asset‑management advisory tied to AI infrastructure. David Sacks Says AI Could Drive 75% Of US GDP Growth As Morgan Stanley Sees Big Tech AI Capex Surging Past $800 Billion In 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Flows into U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs were strong, and Morgan Stanley’s MSBT logged positive inflows — a signal for continued client interest in MS‑managed products and custody/ETP distribution revenue. Bitcoin ETFs pull in $532M as BTC reclaims $80K amid ‘post-ceasefire recovery’
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Investment Management launched a Wealth Education Center for advisors — a product/positioning move that helps deepen advisor relationships and could modestly support AUM growth over time. Morgan Stanley Investment Management Introduces Wealth Education Center
• Neutral Sentiment: Daiwa raised its price target on Morgan Stanley to $198 but kept a neutral rating — a moderately supportive data point, though the firm did not upgrade to an outright buy. Daiwa adjusts price target on Morgan Stanley to $198 from $175; maintains neutral
• Negative Sentiment: The WSJ/Reuters reported a preliminary U.S. probe into Morgan Stanley’s Budapest investment‑banking program — a regulatory overhang that can pressure sentiment and create near‑term volatility until clarified. Morgan Stanley's investment banking program in Budapest hit by US probe

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.