NFSG Corp Trims Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• NFSG Corp sharply reduced its Morgan Stanley stake in the first quarter, cutting holdings by 90.2% to 521 shares worth about $86,000 after selling 4,812 shares.
• Morgan Stanley posted strong second-quarter results, with revenue of $21.35 billion and EPS of $3.46, both topping Wall Street estimates on solid trading, investment banking, and wealth management performance.
• The company boosted shareholder returns by raising its quarterly dividend 15% to $1.15 per share and authorizing a $20 billion share buyback program.

NFSG Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 90.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 521 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,812 shares during the period. NFSG Corp's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $86,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MS. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reported record second-quarter revenue of $21.35 billion and EPS of $3.46, beating Wall Street estimates on strong trading, investment banking, and wealth management results.
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its quarterly dividend by 15% to $1.15 per share, signaling confidence in cash generation and capital returns.
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted record wealth and institutional revenues, along with strong financial flexibility and growing AI-related capital needs, reinforcing the view that core businesses remain healthy.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts lifted price targets after the print, including Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raising its target to $250 and keeping an outperform rating, adding to bullish sentiment. Article source
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching Morgan Stanley’s growing exposure to the AI and IPO boom, including commentary that client demand and capital-markets activity remain favorable for future results.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS opened at $218.37 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The stock's 50 day moving average is $211.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.52. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $136.17 and a twelve month high of $232.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $344.43 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. The business had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 15.65%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.23%.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MS. UBS Group increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $214.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citizens Jmp reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, CICC Research lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $219.55.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley 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 value of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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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