Morgan Stanley $MS Stock Holdings Lifted by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans massively increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 2,332.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 1.35 million additional shares and bringing its total holding to 1.41 million shares worth about $249.7 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.43 beating estimates of $3.02 and revenue of $20.58 billion topping expectations; revenue rose 16% from a year earlier.
• The company also declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend payable May 15, while analysts remain broadly constructive with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.26.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 2,332.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,406,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,348,683 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 0.4% of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.09% of Morgan Stanley worth $249,710,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and 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 fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its S&P 500 outlook to 8,000 for year-end and 8,300 over 12 months, signaling confidence in the broader equity backdrop and the bank’s market strategy. Article: The stock market doesn’t need Fed cuts, says Morgan Stanley as it rachets S&P 500 view higher
• Positive Sentiment: The firm is being cited in several bullish sector calls, including bullish commentary on Ford and other stocks, which keeps Morgan Stanley visible as a leading voice in equity research and capital markets. Article: Ford's Best 2-Day Rally Since 2020: History Says A 200% Year Could Follow
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was also tied to a new digital bond-market initiative through LTX, suggesting continued investment in electronic fixed-income trading infrastructure rather than a direct earnings catalyst. Article: Morgan Stanley Deepens Digital Bond Push With LTX AI Partnership

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE MS opened at $194.40 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $123.88 and a twelve month high of $197.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $306.63 billion, a PE ratio of 17.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $174.78.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 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 analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on MS shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $189.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $196.00 to $214.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $206.26.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, 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 value of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 365,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

About Morgan Stanley

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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