Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Orange Investment Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Orange Investment Advisors reduced its Morgan Stanley stake by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 11,742 shares and leaving it with 52,388 shares worth about $9.3 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.43 and revenue of $20.58 billion, both ahead of analyst expectations; revenue rose 16% year over year.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, or $4.00 annualized, for a 2.0% yield, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $205.95.

Orange Investment Advisors Inc. cut its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 18.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 52,388 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 11,742 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 1.0% of Orange Investment Advisors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Orange Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $9,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in 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. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS opened at $200.44 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $316.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $123.88 and a 1 year high of $200.75. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $178.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $175.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52.

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 (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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.60 EPS. The business'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 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 36.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the 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 sale, the insider owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at $69,224,370.48. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Bank of America upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Dbs Bank boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $205.95.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was upgraded to Buy after strong Q1 results, reinforcing bullish sentiment around earnings momentum and execution. Morgan Stanley Upgraded To Buy As Q1 Results Drive Bullish Momentum Again
• Positive Sentiment: The firm is being linked to major upcoming deals, including the OpenAI IPO process, which highlights Morgan Stanley’s role in large-cap technology and capital markets advisory work. OpenAI IPO coming soon?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also announced the winners of its 2026 Strategy Challenge, a positive corporate/CSR headline but not a major stock-moving catalyst. Strategy Challenge winners announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Other recent headlines around China travel device restrictions and policy changes appear operational in nature and are unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Morgan Stanley asks bankers to carry a separate phone for China trips

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.

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.