Prudent Man Advisors LLC Lowers Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Prudent Man Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 27.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,564 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 0.7% of Prudent Man Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Prudent Man Advisors LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,920,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 91.9% in the 3rd quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total transaction of $2,942,225.26. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 135,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,135,424.08. This represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is hiring contract staff in Hong Kong to handle a surge in listings and deal activity — a sign of higher origination and advisory revenue in Asia while keeping fixed costs flexible. Morgan Stanley hires contract staff in Hong Kong as deals surge (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: MS is active on the lending/credit side — it provided a sizable near-term loan facility to Core Scientific, highlighting deal flow and fee/interest income opportunities from structured financings. That supports revenue diversification beyond trading and wealth management. Core Scientific shares rise as investors focus on new Morgan Stanley financing (QuiverQuant)
• Positive Sentiment: At least one big bank (JPMorgan) raised its Morgan Stanley price target recently — a vote of confidence from a peer that can support sentiment and reduce near-term downside risk. JPMorgan forecasts strong price appreciation for Morgan Stanley (AmericanBankingNews)
• Neutral Sentiment: Firm strategy updates — Morgan Stanley is expanding strategic collaborations (EquityZen buyout, Zerohash crypto tie?ups, etc.) to broaden its wealth/asset-management footprint; longer?term potential but execution and timing remain uncertain. Will Morgan Stanley’s strategic collaborations drive long-term growth? (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor pieces on MS Direct Lending highlight attractive yields and discounts in the unit — this flags potential income but also concentration and liquidity risk; watch fund NAV, redemptions and regulatory filings. 12%+ yield, discount to NAV and buybacks — Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (Seeking Alpha)
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley restricted redemptions at one of its private?credit funds after an investor withdrawal spike — this raises liquidity and valuation concerns for MS’s asset?management/alternate?credit business and is a near?term headline risk. Morgan Stanley restricts redemptions at private credit fund after withdrawals surge (Reuters)
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and commentary about broader private?credit stress (deteriorating credit in some sectors, valuation opacity) amplify the redemption story and could pressure fee income, AUM sentiment and reputational risk for MS if outflows continue. Private credit concerns grow as Morgan Stanley fund caps withdrawals (MarketWatch)

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $160.88 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $192.68. The firm has a market cap of $255.45 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s 50 day moving average is $177.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.18.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on MS shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $211.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.14.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.