Vanguard Group Inc. Has $21.25 Billion Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.2% to 119,718,100 shares, owning about 7.53% of the company worth roughly $21.25 billion.
• Morgan Stanley topped expectations in its latest quarter with $3.43 EPS versus $3.02 expected and revenue of $20.58 billion, up about 16% year‑over‑year.
• MSIM launched a new Stablecoin Reserves Portfolio aimed at stablecoin issuers, a strategic move to capture fee income and expand Morgan Stanley’s digital‑assets franchise.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,718,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,361,940 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 7.53% of Morgan Stanley worth $21,253,554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Powers Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,443 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,767 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 3,579 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $635,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,181 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 3,915 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $695,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Wolfe Research lowered their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $201.89.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $6,020,286.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at $65,254,222.62. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 110,444 shares of company stock worth $20,665,049 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $188.13 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $170.25 and a 200 day moving average of $171.90. The company has a market capitalization of $297.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.04, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.19. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $112.03 and a 1-year high of $194.59. 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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.89% 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.60 EPS. Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued 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 is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.23%.

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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