Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 10,823 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 1.9%, buying 10,823 shares to hold 578,181 shares worth roughly $102.64 million per its latest SEC filing.
• Morgan Stanley posted a Q1 earnings beat—EPS $3.43 vs. $3.02 expected and revenue $20.58 billion vs. $19.23 billion—and announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend (ex‑dividend Apr 30), a 2.1% yield.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 578,181 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 10,823 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $102,644,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE MS opened at $188.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $104.78 and a 52-week high of $194.59. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $170.85. The stock has a market cap of $298.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.11, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The company 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 company earned $2.60 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 36.23%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related 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 value of $2,779,935.60. Following the sale, the insider 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares in the company, valued at $31,464,920. The trade was a 11.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 195,549 shares of company stock worth $36,260,510. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the topic of several recent research reports. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Daiwa Securities Group cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $199.67.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — Morgan Stanley reported stronger-than-expected revenue and EPS, driven by trading, investment-banking fees and wealth-management flows; investors are treating the quarter as confirmation the franchise is re-accelerating. MS Q1 Deep Dive: Wealth and Investment Banking Deliver
• Positive Sentiment: MSBT (Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF) showing early inflows and now trackable wallets — supports new fee diversification and asset-gathering momentum that can help recurring revenue. Morgan Stanley Bitcoin ETF Tops $100 Million in Six Days
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street lifts and price-target increases after Q1 — multiple outlets/analysts raised targets or upgraded outlooks, supporting near-term upside narratives and investor confidence. Morgan Stanley Price Target Raised to $183.00 Morgan Stanley Price Target Raised to $177.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend & capital returns — the $1.00 quarterly dividend (ex‑div Apr 30) signals confidence and supports income investors, but it’s not a new growth catalyst. Insider Selling: Morgan Stanley Insider Sells 14,690 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley continues advisory and research activity (e.g., advising on Kaspi.kz transaction, analyst coverage/actions on other large names) — reinforces franchise breadth but is execution/fee dependent. Kaspi.kz Announces Major Share Purchase
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — recent SEC filings show senior insiders sold shares (multi‑million dollar transactions), which can create short-term selling pressure or investor caution even if sales are for personal liquidity. Morgan Stanley Insider Sells $9,744,068.12 in Stock Morgan Stanley Insider Sells $2,779,935.60 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory / political overhang — recent scrutiny tied to a Fed nominee’s past actions and requests for records raises reputational and regulatory risk that could produce episodic headlines. Elizabeth Warren Challenges Fed Chair Nominee Kevin Warsh

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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