Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by DJE Kapital AG

Key Points

• DJE Kapital AG sharply reduced its Morgan Stanley stake by 81.8% in the first quarter, selling 420,469 shares and leaving it with 93,386 shares worth about $15.1 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $3.46 per share and revenue of $21.35 billion, both ahead of analyst expectations and up notably from a year earlier.
• The company also announced a $20 billion share buyback and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.15 per share, signaling confidence in its capital position and shareholder returns.

DJE Kapital AG trimmed its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 81.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 93,386 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 420,469 shares during the quarter. DJE Kapital AG's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $15,118,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $2,736,648,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 29.1% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 14,917,776 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,648,354,000 after purchasing an additional 3,364,080 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 142.4% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,122,060 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $511,723,000 after purchasing an additional 1,833,844 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,718,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $21,253,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2,332.9% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,406,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $249,710,000 after buying an additional 1,348,683 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $210.98 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $212.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $189.00. The stock has a market cap of $332.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $136.17 and a fifty-two week high of $232.25. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.51%. The company had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, July 6th. Dbs Bank boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Freedom Capital upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Two investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $222.60.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is being recognized as a leader in financing AI-related debt deals, suggesting stronger underwriting and advisory revenue tied to data-center expansion. Morgan Stanley becomes Wall Street’s top bank for AI debt deals
• Positive Sentiment: New coverage from market outlets also pointed to Morgan Stanley as constructive on broader macro and sector opportunities, including semiconductor and commodity trends, which can help sentiment around its research and client franchise. MarketWatch chip stocks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst notes and rating updates continued to support expectations for solid earnings, with recent reports raising price targets and forecast estimates for fiscal 2026 and beyond. Morgan Stanley upgraded at Freedom Capital
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the positive business headlines, the stock was under pressure in a broader risk-off session, which can weigh on large financials even when company-specific news is favorable.

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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