Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Versor Investments LP

Versor Investments LP reduced its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 70.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,021 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 91.9% during the third quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth about $32,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total transaction of $2,942,225.26. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 135,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,135,424.08. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:MS opened at $176.88 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $281.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.32, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $192.68. The business has a fifty day moving average of $181.09 and a 200-day moving average of $164.75.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. HSBC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $211.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.93.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has a near?term business tailwind from investment banking hires and deal pipeline — the return of Michael Grimes to lead investment banking should help MS win tech IPO and advisory mandates, a potential boost to fees over coming quarters. Michael Grimes Return Puts Morgan Stanley At Center Of Tech IPO Cycle
• Positive Sentiment: Latest reported fundamentals remain a support: MS beat Q4 estimates (EPS and revenue) and continues to show improving margins and ROE, which underpins valuation vs. peers (background earnings data disclosed 1/15).
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research is active and moving markets — the firm’s analyst work (including bullish calls on names such as Micron) can drive trading and capital markets activity, but the revenue benefits are lumpy and timing uncertain. Morgan Stanley Pounds the Table on Micron Stock (MU)
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategist pieces and scans (MS looked through ~3,600 stocks for AI winners) spotlight the firm’s market?research strength but are longer?horizon catalysts rather than immediate earnings drivers. Morgan Stanley examined 3,600 stocks amid AI’s shakeout. It has recommendations.
• Negative Sentiment: Governance and optics risks: Reuters reports CEO Ted Pick’s pay rose ~32% to $45M — a headline that can pressure sentiment, especially when investors focus on cost discipline and compensation governance. Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick’s pay rises 32% to $45 million
• Negative Sentiment: Near?term technical/market factors: MS is trading off after a rally toward its 52?week high — some pullback and profit?taking by traders is consistent with sector rotation and headline noise (research/compensation stories), which can mute intraday performance.

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.