Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Wesbanco Bank Inc.

Key Points

• Wesbanco Bank reduced its Morgan Stanley stake by 49.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 74,085 shares and leaving it with 75,671 shares worth about $13.4 million.
• Several analysts turned more positive on Morgan Stanley, with DBS and UBS raising price targets and Erste Group upgrading the stock to buy. The consensus analyst rating remains Moderate Buy with a price target of $206.26.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, while also announcing a $1.00 quarterly dividend to be paid May 15. The stock has also been trading near its 52-week high after rising 1.5% on the day noted in the article.

Wesbanco Bank Inc. cut its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 49.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 75,671 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 74,085 shares during the quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $13,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,718,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $21,253,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,940 shares during the period. Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at $170,037,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 40.2% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,933,604 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $466,326,000 after purchasing an additional 841,263 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 6.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 14,260,650 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,267,847,000 after purchasing an additional 822,120 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 150.3% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,234,969 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $196,311,000 after purchasing an additional 741,651 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: DBS Bank raised its price target on Morgan Stanley to $220 from $185, signaling more upside potential. DBS Bank price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lifted FY2027 earnings estimates for Morgan Stanley, while keeping a Buy rating, reinforcing confidence in longer-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS also increased its Morgan Stanley price target to $214 from $196, adding to the wave of bullish revisions. UBS price target update

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.26.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at $69,224,370.48. This 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 three months, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of MS opened at $192.99 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The firm's 50-day moving average is $172.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.64. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $121.46 and a twelve month high of $194.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $304.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.23%.

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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