Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Boosts Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 764,583 shares valued at about $135.7 million. Morgan Stanley is now its 20th-largest holding and makes up 0.7% of the portfolio.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $3.43 versus expectations of $3.02 and revenue of $20.58 billion versus estimates of $19.23 billion. Revenue rose 16% year over year, and analysts now expect full-year EPS of 11.85.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with the stock holding a “Moderate Buy” average rating and an average price target of $206.26. Several brokerages recently raised price targets, and the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 764,583 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 20,783 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for 0.7% of Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $135,736,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 1,855.6% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on MS. Citigroup upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $206.26.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $192.99 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $304.40 billion, a PE ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.22. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $172.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $173.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $121.46 and a 1-year high of $194.83.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.60 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley continues to receive a generally favorable analyst view, with reports noting an average “Moderate Buy” recommendation for the stock, which supports sentiment around MS shares. Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley warned that a prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz could tighten global oil supply and push crude prices higher, highlighting rising geopolitical risk in energy markets. This is more of a macro call than a direct driver for MS earnings, but it underscores the bank’s active role in interpreting major commodity trends. Morgan Stanley warns oil market in ‘race against time’ as Strait of Hormuz remains shut amid Iran war
• Neutral Sentiment: The firm was also cited in coverage of Bitcoin holding above $80,000, with its ETF attracting strong inflows. That points to continued investor interest in Morgan Stanley’s expanding presence in digital-asset products, though the article is not a direct earnings catalyst. Bitcoin (BTC) Holds $80K Support as Traders Anticipate Next Rally Signal
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was mentioned positively by brokerages in coverage of Tata Consumer’s strong quarterly results, but the impact on MS is indirect and mainly reflects its equity research influence rather than a stock-specific catalyst. Tata Consumer shares soar 7% after better-than-expected Q4 earnings. Here’s what Morgan Stanley & other top brokerages say
• Neutral Sentiment: Similar coverage on Titan’s post-earnings drop showed Morgan Stanley among the brokerages still constructive on the company’s long-term outlook, again reinforcing MS’s role as a key institutional analyst rather than affecting its own fundamentals directly. Titan shares crash 6% after Q4 results. What are Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bernstein, other brokerages saying?

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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