Morgan Stanley $MS Stock Position Raised by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Key Points

• Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 3.1%, adding 8,980 shares to hold 301,363 shares valued at about $53.5 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported a strong Q1 beat (EPS $3.43 vs. $3.02 est., revenue $20.58B), announced capital moves including buybacks and a $1 quarterly dividend, and has seen positive analyst upgrades and institutional inflows into its new spot Bitcoin ETF.
• Insiders sold about 110,444 shares (≈$20.7M) in the last quarter, while institutional investors collectively own roughly 84.19% of the company.

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 301,363 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,980 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $53,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reported strong Q1 results and made notable capital moves (share buybacks, dividend, and debt issuance) that traders are calling a potential game‑changer for the franchise; this underpins today’s buying interest. Morgan Stanley’s Strong Q1 Earnings And Capital Moves Could Be A Game Changer For Morgan Stanley (MS)
• Positive Sentiment: Broker BMO lifted its price target on Morgan Stanley to $220 — a direct positive signal from the sell side that can support momentum. BMO Capital Markets Increases Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS Price Target to $220.00
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s newly launched spot Bitcoin ETF (MSBT) has seen institutional inflows (reported ~$138M placement), which helps AUM/fees and is cited as boosting Bitcoin — a flow story that benefits MS’s wealth & asset‑management revenue. $138M Bitcoin Play Triggers Rally, Signals Shift In Big Money Sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: Research notes from MS highlighting AI-driven upside in gaming (estimated ~$22B profit opportunity) reinforce the bank’s research franchise and thematic insights that can drive trading and advisory activity. Gaming industry could unlock $22 billion in profits on AI-driven cost cuts, says Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management pulse survey showed steady retail investor sentiment — supportive for recurring advisory flows but not an immediate earnings catalyst. Bullishness Remains Steady as Geopolitical and Energy Concerns Rise, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Pulse Survey Finds
• Negative Sentiment: Insider activity: Eric Grossman sold ~11,118 MS shares (reported Apr 22). Insider sales are common but can trigger short-term caution among some investors. Eric Grossman Sells 11,118 Shares of Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS Stock

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the transaction, the insider owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at $65,254,222.62. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 110,444 shares of company stock worth $20,665,049 in the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $190.84 on Thursday. The company's fifty day moving average is $169.50 and its 200-day moving average is $171.46. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $111.24 and a 12 month high of $194.59. The firm has a market cap of $301.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.60 EPS. Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. 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 (DPR) is 36.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MS shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $201.33.

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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