Ramirez Asset Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Ramirez Asset Management Inc. increased its Morgan Stanley position by 46.4% in Q3 to 23,846 shares, valued at about $3.79 million at quarter-end.
• Morgan Stanley posted an earnings beat (Q EPS $2.68 vs $2.28; revenue $17.90B), pays a $1.00 quarterly dividend (2.5% yield) and has a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a $185.93 target, though recent developments—spot Bitcoin ETF filing, a large financing to Core Scientific, companywide layoffs and notable insider selling—have pressured the stock.

Ramirez Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 46.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,846 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,556 shares during the period. Ramirez Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,791,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 6,692 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,064,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department now owns 12,533 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,992,000 after buying an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 248,397 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,485,000 after buying an additional 13,446 shares in the last quarter. LOM Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. LOM Asset Management Ltd now owns 16,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,550,000 after buying an additional 1,508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smith Moore & CO. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $200,000. 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 research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Dbs Bank raised Morgan Stanley to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Barclays raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.93.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of MS stock opened at $160.15 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $178.20 and a 200-day moving average of $167.69. 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 has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $192.68. The firm has a market cap of $254.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The company had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. Morgan Stanley's revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley filed an updated S‑1 / SEC amendment advancing its planned spot Bitcoin ETF (naming Coinbase custody and BNY Mellon roles). That materially increases the firm’s potential fee pool (trading, custody, securities lending) if approved — a strategic growth lever beyond traditional banking. Morgan Stanley Files Updated SEC Amendment for Spot Bitcoin ETF Launch
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley provided financing (initial $500M, expandable to $1B) to Core Scientific for data center/AI infrastructure, demonstrating growth in corporate lending and structured finance opportunities tied to AI/crypto infrastructure. That can add fee and interest income if credit performance holds. Core Scientific secures up to $1B credit from Morgan Stanley for data centers
• Neutral Sentiment: Public commentary from Morgan Stanley events (tech/AI conferences) keeps the firm visible as an advisor/market‑maker in tech and AI financing; useful for long‑term franchise positioning but not an immediate earnings surprise. Morgan Stanley's top tech banker: It's 'wartime, not peacetime' for software
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley announced cuts of roughly 2,500 roles (~3% of workforce) across divisions. Markets often react negatively to broad layoffs because they signal restructuring risk, potential disruption to revenue growth and near‑term execution uncertainty even if they imply future cost savings. Morgan Stanley Sheds 2,500 Employees in Companywide Layoffs
• Negative Sentiment: Investor flow appears to favor trimming MS exposure amid the headlines; analysts and market commentators are re‑assessing near‑term margins and execution risk despite record revenues in 2025 — producing downward pressure on the share price today. Morgan Stanley Cuts 3% Workforce Despite Record Revenues in 2025

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 127,872 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,598,777.60. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total value of $1,547,680.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 119,128 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,690,826.24. The trade was a 6.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley 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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