Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by SCS Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• SCS Capital Management cut its Morgan Stanley stake by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,062 shares and leaving it with 158,942 shares valued at about $28.2 million.
• Morgan Stanley also saw insider selling, including trades by Eric F. Grossman and Daniel A. Simkowitz; insiders sold 77,476 shares over the last 90 days worth about $14.6 million.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.43 topping estimates and revenue of $20.58 billion beating expectations, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus and average price target of $205.95.

SCS Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 158,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,062 shares during the quarter. SCS Capital Management LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $28,217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 69.0% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 8,964 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,263,000 after purchasing an additional 3,661 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 90.9% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,148 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,378,000 after purchasing an additional 7,688 shares in the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 263,575 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,127,000 after purchasing an additional 15,623 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Jupiter Wealth Management LLC now owns 52,825 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,805,000 after purchasing an additional 3,807 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was highlighted in a report saying it disclosed exposure to Bitcoin, XRP, and Solana, which may reinforce the bank’s relevance in digital-asset markets and draw investor interest. Morgan Stanley reveals surprising asset exposure
• Positive Sentiment: The stock was described as outperforming the Nasdaq over the past year, suggesting momentum remains constructive and analysts are still fairly upbeat about MS. Is Morgan Stanley Stock Outperforming the Nasdaq?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s recent activity was largely about stock calls on other companies, including Dell, Microsoft, NetApp, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Stanley Black & Decker, and Consolidated Edison. These updates can reflect the firm’s market influence, but they are not direct catalysts for MS shares. Morgan Stanley flags unexpected Dell stock update after earnings

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS opened at $207.74 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $327.67 billion, a PE ratio of 18.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $183.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.48. 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 fifty-two week low of $126.35 and a fifty-two week high of $208.08.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.Morgan Stanley's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Dbs Bank increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $196.00 to $214.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $205.95.

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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