Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Macquarie Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Macquarie Group Ltd. reduced its Morgan Stanley stake sharply in the fourth quarter, cutting holdings by 76.3% after selling 1.21 million shares. It still held 374,795 shares valued at about $66.5 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $3.43 versus the $3.02 consensus and revenue of $20.58 billion, up 16% year over year. Analysts still expect full-year EPS of 11.85.
• The company continued to reward shareholders and attract mixed analyst views, with a recent quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share and an annualized yield of 1.9%. Wall Street’s consensus remains a “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $206.35.

Macquarie Group Ltd. lessened its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 76.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 374,795 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,206,770 shares during the period. Macquarie Group Ltd.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $66,537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,855.6% in the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $214.19 on Friday. 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 52 week low of $128.81 and a 52 week high of $219.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $193.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $337.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The firm 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 earned $2.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 1.9%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 36.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on MS shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Evercore raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $206.35.

Key Stories 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

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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