St. Louis Financial Planners Asset Management LLC Purchases New Shares in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• St. Louis Financial Planners Asset Management LLC bought a new stake of 16,166 shares of Morgan Stanley in Q4 valued at about $2.87 million, making up 1.8% of its portfolio and its 27th largest holding.
• Morgan Stanley beat Q4 estimates with $2.68 EPS (vs. $2.28 expected) and $17.90 billion in revenue (up 10.3% YoY), and declared a $1 quarterly dividend ($4 annual, ~2.5% yield).
• The firm formally advanced a spot Bitcoin ETF (ticker MSBT) registration with $1M seed capital and custodial partners Coinbase and BNY Mellon, a potential new source of fee revenue and asset inflows.

St. Louis Financial Planners Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 16,166 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,870,000. Morgan Stanley comprises 1.8% of St. Louis Financial Planners Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MS. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 91.9% in the third quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $161.47 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $192.68. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.43. The company has a market cap of $256.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MS shares. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $187.14.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley formally advanced its spot Bitcoin ETF registration (ticker MSBT), disclosing $1M seed capital, planned NYSE Arca listing, custodial partners (Coinbase/BNY Mellon) and named authorized participants — a potential new product that could bring fee revenue, increase client asset flows and reinforce MS’s digital-asset positioning. Morgan Stanley advances MSBT Bitcoin ETF with amended SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: MS research is publishing macro downside scenarios (e.g., elevated European gas risk and earlier ECB hikes) and revised rate‑cut timing — these calls can drive market volatility and trading flows that affect MS’s trading & principal revenues but are not direct corporate fundamentals. Europe gas refill risks rise; MS flags €90 TTF scenario
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley limited redemptions in a private‑credit vehicle and publicly flagged rising default/liquidity risk in parts of private credit — a near‑term negative for asset‑management fee stability, client confidence and potential reputational risk if outflows/credit losses broaden. Investors may be re‑pricing wealth & asset‑management exposure. Morgan Stanley Tests Private Credit Liquidity As AI Risks Surface

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at $23,598,777.60. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.19% 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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