Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Key Points

• Gamco Investors reduced its Morgan Stanley stake by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 9,020 shares and leaving it with 115,196 shares valued at about $20.45 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive: Morgan Stanley has a Moderate Buy consensus rating, with an average price target of $206.26 after several firms raised targets or upgraded their views.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, including EPS of $3.43 versus $3.02 expected and revenue of $20.58 billion, while also paying a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share.

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lessened its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 115,196 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 9,020 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $20,451,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1,855.6% during the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $189.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $206.26.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. The trade was a 15.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the business's 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s own analysis of broader markets remains constructive, with strategists saying equities still have upside support from AI-driven growth and employment trends, even as they flag recession and bond-market risks. That keeps the firm visible in the ongoing AI-led market narrative. Morgan Stanley Remains Bullish on Equities While Flagging Recession Risks Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: The bank also helped fuel bullish sentiment in semiconductors by raising its revenue estimate for Nvidia ahead of earnings and highlighting continued upside potential, reinforcing Morgan Stanley’s influence in high-profile growth themes that investors are still rewarding. Morgan Stanley Lifts Nvidia Stock (NVDA) Price Target Ahead of Q1 Earnings, Sees ‘Continued Upside to Numbers’
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market headlines show Morgan Stanley-linked commentary spanning everything from AI infrastructure to energy and utilities, suggesting the bank is well positioned around major investor themes, though none of these articles directly change MS fundamentals today.
• Negative Sentiment: At the same time, the firm warned that a bond selloff could trigger a meaningful stock-market correction. That caution may temper enthusiasm and explains why any move higher in Morgan Stanley (MS) is modest rather than explosive. Morgan Stanley’s Wilson Warns Stock Rally at Risk From Bond Rout

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MS stock opened at $192.71 on Tuesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $176.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $175.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The stock has a market cap of $303.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $123.88 and a twelve month high of $197.50.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The company's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 36.23%.

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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