Xponance LLC Raises Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Xponance LLC increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 10,390 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 180,514 shares worth about $32.0 million.
• Morgan Stanley has received broadly positive analyst attention, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target of $205.95.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates with $3.43 EPS and $20.58 billion in revenue, while also paying a $1.00 quarterly dividend and maintaining a 1.9% yield.

Xponance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 180,514 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,390 shares during the period. Xponance LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $32,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MS. Canopy Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Canopy Partners LLC now owns 5,448 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $212,000. SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $870,000. Lyell Wealth Management LP boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 109,762 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $19,486,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scholtz & Company LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Scholtz & Company LLC now owns 32,219 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,720,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was highlighted in recent coverage as a key beneficiary of a likely IPO boom, especially from AI-related deals, which could lift underwriting, trading, and advisory revenues. Barrons article on AI IPO boom
• Positive Sentiment: Management is also signaling continued growth ambitions in wealth management, with CEO Ted Pick saying Morgan Stanley wants to build a much larger wealth platform, which supports the long-term earnings story. Yahoo Finance article on wealth management goals
• Positive Sentiment: Another note said Morgan Stanley expanded AI access across its workplace wealth hub, a move that could deepen client engagement and improve the firm’s digital wealth-management offering. Zacks article on AI access expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group slightly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Morgan Stanley to $11.97, above the current consensus of $11.85, reinforcing expectations for solid earnings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mike Wilson’s latest comments on inflation and the Fed were shared in Barron’s, but they were commentary rather than a direct catalyst for Morgan Stanley shares. Barrons article on Mike Wilson macro views

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Bank of America upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Barclays increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $196.00 to $214.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $205.95.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $212.74 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $128.81 and a 12 month high of $219.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $192.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $335.55 billion, a PE ratio of 19.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 36.23%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the company'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 owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the sale, the insider owned 365,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762 over the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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