VMS Asset Management Limited Takes $5.66 Million Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• VMS Asset Management opened a new position in Morgan Stanley, buying 31,900 shares worth about $5.66 million. The stake represents 2.2% of VMS’s portfolio and is its 27th-largest holding.
• Morgan Stanley delivered stronger-than-expected quarterly results, reporting EPS of $3.43 versus estimates of $3.02 and revenue of $20.58 billion versus $19.23 billion expected. Revenue rose 16% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but constructive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.95. At the same time, recent insider sales totaled 77,476 shares over the past three months.

VMS Asset Management Limited acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 31,900 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,663,000. Morgan Stanley makes up 2.2% of VMS Asset Management Limited's portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $2,736,648,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,718,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $21,253,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,940 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2,332.9% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,406,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $249,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,348,683 shares in the last quarter. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter valued at $170,037,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 40.2% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,933,604 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $466,326,000 after purchasing an additional 841,263 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted 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. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $205.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at $53,209,159.78. The trade was a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $218.38 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $344.44 billion, a PE ratio of 19.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $127.34 and a 52-week high of $219.16. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $187.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.81.

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. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.60 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 36.23%.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was named, along with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, to lead Anthropic’s expected IPO, a high-profile mandate that could boost future banking fees and underscores the firm’s position in major AI-related capital markets deals.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm’s analysts remained active across coverage, including a favorable note on Broadcom and higher targets on several other names, which keeps Morgan Stanley visible as a market-moving research house.
• Positive Sentiment: Media reports said Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is opening parts of its platform to AI agents, suggesting the firm is continuing to invest in automation and efficiency within its large wealth-management business.
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also showed up in commentary around several sectors and conferences, including financials events and macro calls, but these items were more informational than direct stock catalysts.

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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