Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.

Key Points

• Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. cut its Morgan Stanley stake by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 37,181 shares and leaving it with 484,783 shares valued at about $86.1 million.
• Insider selling was also notable, with executives Daniel A. Simkowitz and Eric F. Grossman selling shares in April; insiders sold 77,476 shares worth $14.6 million over the last 90 days.
• Morgan Stanley topped estimates in its latest quarter, reporting EPS of $3.43 versus $3.02 expected and revenue of $20.58 billion, while analysts maintain a consensus Moderate Buy rating with a $205.95 price target.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. reduced its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 484,783 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 37,181 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up about 1.6% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $86,063,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 10,692 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,898,000 after acquiring an additional 604 shares during the period. Brown Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Brown Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,578 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 33,207 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,895,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266 shares during the period. Northbridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $572,000. Finally, Intrust Bank NA grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 17,387 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,087,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,313,622.25. The trade was 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 sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $196.00 to $214.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. CICC Research increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $205.95.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE:MS opened at $189.58 on Wednesday. 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 has a 1-year low of $123.88 and a 1-year high of $197.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $176.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $175.35.

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 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 analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.60 EPS. Morgan Stanley's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.23%.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: CICC Research lifted its price target on Morgan Stanley (MS) to $200 and reiterated an Outperform view, reinforcing bullish sentiment from analysts. MarketScreener
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s strategists said the stock market can still benefit from AI-driven growth, but they also warned that a bond-market selloff could pressure risk assets and trigger a broader pullback. Financial Post
• Neutral Sentiment: Another Morgan Stanley note said the Fed may stay on hold before cutting rates again in 2027, which reflects a measured macro view rather than a direct company-specific catalyst. TheStreet

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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