Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc Acquires 5,080 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 7.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 5,080 additional shares and lifting its total holdings to 74,097 shares worth about $13.15 million.
• Morgan Stanley’s latest earnings beat expectations, with quarterly EPS of $3.43 versus the $3.02 consensus and revenue of $20.58 billion, up 16% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but generally positive: the stock carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $205.95, even as some firms raised targets while others trimmed or downgraded their views.

Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 74,097 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,080 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 0.8% of Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $13,154,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 27,070,557 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,786,350,000 after acquiring an additional 534,708 shares in the last quarter. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,449 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 30,482 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,411,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 13,586 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,412,000 after buying an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 3,040 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $540,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s analysts were cited in several bullish calls across equities, including upgrades/positive views that helped lift sentiment in names like AppLovin, Semtech, and others, highlighting the firm’s influence and strong research franchise. AppLovin Stock (APP) Jumps 11% after Bullish Morgan Stanley Call
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its S&P 500 target on expectations for AI-driven earnings growth, adding to the broader market’s constructive backdrop for large financial firms like Morgan Stanley. Goldman Raises S&P 500 Target, Sees 17% Upside This Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Published commentary said Senator Elizabeth Warren is pressing regulators to reconsider an exemption that helped Morgan Stanley integrate its German investment bank into its U.S. holding company, which could increase regulatory scrutiny but does not yet amount to a direct financial hit. Warren Scrutiny Of German Unit Exemption Tests Morgan Stanley Valuation Narrative

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MS. Argus increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Wolfe Research decreased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $205.95.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The stock was 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 directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $201.66 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $126.35 and a 12 month high of $203.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $181.87 and a 200-day moving average of $176.88. The company has a market capitalization of $318.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The company had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.60 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 36.23%.

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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