Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 331.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,753 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,725 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,830,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Atlatl Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.
More Morgan Stanley News
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley analysts remain constructive on several technology-related businesses. The firm maintained a Buy rating on Akamai with a $165 price target, citing cloud-infrastructure commitments that could improve the company’s growth outlook. Akamai analyst rating
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reportedly highlighted favorable data-center trends following Marvell’s strong quarterly results, reinforcing the investment bank’s view that AI infrastructure demand remains an important growth theme. Morgan Stanley on Marvell data centers
- Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is hosting its 24th Annual Global Healthcare Conference in September, which will include a fireside chat with IDEXX Laboratories’ management. The event could provide sector insights but is not an immediate earnings catalyst for MS. IDEXX at Morgan Stanley healthcare conference
- Negative Sentiment: Investors are assessing whether AI-driven mortgage refinancing will accelerate prepayments on the loans underlying mortgage-backed securities. Faster repayments could shorten asset durations and reduce or disrupt income patterns for banks and other mortgage-bond investors, including Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley mortgage bond risk
- Negative Sentiment: Separate commentary on elevated national debt, Treasury yields and potentially weaker debt data may be contributing to caution toward financial stocks. These factors can affect funding costs, bond valuations, trading activity and credit conditions. Morgan Stanley on debt and yields
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
MS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Daiwa Securities Group increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Dbs Bank raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $224.75.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley Stock Performance
NYSE:MS opened at $213.57 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $145.65 and a twelve month high of $232.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $216.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $336.86 billion, a PE ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.22.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. The firm 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 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.
Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.19%.
Morgan Stanley Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading

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