State of Michigan Retirement System Has $56.14 Million Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• State of Michigan Retirement System reduced its Morgan Stanley stake by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, now owning 316,226 shares worth about $56.14 million.
• Morgan Stanley beat quarterly estimates with $3.43 EPS versus $3.02 expected and $20.58 billion in revenue, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.00 (annualized $4.00, ~2.1% yield; ex-dividend Apr 30).
• Insiders sold 110,444 shares (~$20.7M) over the past three months (insider ownership 0.17%) while institutions own about 84.19% and analysts show mixed sentiment with a consensus "Hold" and target price around $201.89.

State of Michigan Retirement System decreased its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 316,226 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 11,900 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $56,140,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MS. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 29,744 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,281,000 after purchasing an additional 8,512 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 103.1% during the third quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 12,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,019,000 after purchasing an additional 6,448 shares in the last quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during the third quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 467,246 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $74,273,000 after purchasing an additional 9,056 shares during the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 52.6% during the third quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 113,504 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,043,000 after purchasing an additional 39,104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, A4 Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at approximately $855,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 110,444 shares of company stock worth $20,665,049 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $188.13 on Monday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $170.25 and its 200 day moving average is $172.01. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $112.03 and a one year high of $194.59. The firm has a market cap of $297.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.19. 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 Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The business had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.60 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.8 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 36.23%.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: MSIM launched a Stablecoin Reserves Portfolio (MSNXX) aimed at stablecoin issuers — a new money‑market/reserve solution that positions Morgan Stanley as a provider of regulatory‑aligned cash reserves for the growing payment‑stablecoin market. This is strategically important because it can win fee income, strengthen MS’s digital‑assets franchise and deepen client relationships in crypto. MS stablecoin reserves fund
• Positive Sentiment: Third‑party analyst activity is supportive: BNP Paribas Exane raised its price target on MS to $205 (from $195), citing upside vs. the share price — a clear vote of confidence that can help investor sentiment. BNP Paribas raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and research note coverage (Zacks, other outlets) continue to highlight MS as a solid momentum/dividend and growth play — reinforcing buy‑side interest in the wealth‑management and capital‑markets franchises that drive recurring revenue. Zacks momentum coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley expanded market infrastructure ties (e.g., added as an NZX clearing participant) and continues to show institutional product rollout — incremental business development but not immediately earnings‑material. NZX clearing participant
• Neutral Sentiment: MS has been cited across media coverage for analyst model updates and sector research (examples: packaged‑foods coverage updates, biopharma model tweaks). These signals illustrate active franchise research but don’t directly move MS’s revenues. MS analyst activity examples
• Negative Sentiment: Intraday weakness likely reflects profit‑taking/positioning and options‑oriented selling: Schaeffer and other options commentators recently highlighted bearish trades tied to MS, which can amplify short‑term downward pressure. Lower-than‑average volume today (per background data) also suggests a thinner market exacerbating small sell flows. Schaeffer options note

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $189.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $201.89.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.