Morgan Stanley $MS Stock Position Cut by Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.

Key Points

• Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management trimmed its Morgan Stanley stake by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 15,255 shares and leaving it with 556,628 shares worth about $98.8 million. Morgan Stanley remains its fifth-largest holding and makes up 4.6% of the portfolio.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed but constructive, with analysts issuing a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.95. Several firms recently raised price targets, though the stock still has an even split of 12 Buy ratings and 12 Hold ratings.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $3.43 versus the $3.02 estimate and revenue of $20.58 billion, up 16% from a year earlier. The company also paid a $1.00 quarterly dividend, equal to a 1.9% annualized yield.

Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 556,628 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,255 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises about 4.6% of Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $98,818,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $2,736,648,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,718,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $21,253,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,940 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2,332.9% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,406,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $249,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,348,683 shares during the period. Junto Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth about $170,037,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 40.2% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,933,604 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $466,326,000 after purchasing an additional 841,263 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Dbs Bank boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. 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. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $196.00 to $214.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $205.95.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related 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 directly owned 365,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was highlighted in recent coverage as a key beneficiary of a likely IPO boom, especially from AI-related deals, which could lift underwriting, trading, and advisory revenues. Barrons article on AI IPO boom
• Positive Sentiment: Management is also signaling continued growth ambitions in wealth management, with CEO Ted Pick saying Morgan Stanley wants to build a much larger wealth platform, which supports the long-term earnings story. Yahoo Finance article on wealth management goals
• Positive Sentiment: Another note said Morgan Stanley expanded AI access across its workplace wealth hub, a move that could deepen client engagement and improve the firm’s digital wealth-management offering. Zacks article on AI access expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group slightly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Morgan Stanley to $11.97, above the current consensus of $11.85, reinforcing expectations for solid earnings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mike Wilson’s latest comments on inflation and the Fed were shared in Barron’s, but they were commentary rather than a direct catalyst for Morgan Stanley shares. Barrons article on Mike Wilson macro views

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $212.74 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $192.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The company has a market capitalization of $335.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $128.81 and a 52-week high of $219.16.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.60 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal 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 yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 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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