Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors Purchases 3,625 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 29.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,625 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises about 2.3% of Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,321,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 6,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,348,000 after acquiring an additional 659 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 331.6% during the 2nd quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 8,753 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,830,000 after acquiring an additional 6,725 shares in the last quarter. Nwam LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.0% in the second quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 3,386 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $471,000. Finally, Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 23.0% in the second quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 7,648 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,599,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $211.00 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $215.85 and a 200-day moving average of $195.90. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $145.65 and a one year high of $232.25. The company has a market cap of $332.81 billion, a PE ratio of 17.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The company had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.19%.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s latest earnings showed strong operating momentum: quarterly EPS of $3.46 exceeded estimates of $2.89, revenue reached $21.35 billion versus expectations of $19.67 billion, and revenue increased 27.1% year over year. The results support the longer-term bullish case for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm continues to expand client engagement and trading activity through E*TRADE. Its monthly sector-rotation study provides data on client buying and selling across U.S.-traded stocks, reinforcing Morgan Stanley’s wealth-management and brokerage presence. E*TRADE Releases Monthly Sector Rotation Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley argued that investors may be focusing on U.S. debt concerns while overlooking broader economic and market risks. The commentary highlights the firm’s macroeconomic expertise but does not provide a direct earnings catalyst. Morgan Stanley Says U.S. Debt Fears Miss Bigger Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s analyst teams remain active, including bullish calls on Robinhood, Broadcom and other growth companies. These calls may support advisory and research visibility, but they are unlikely to materially affect MS stock in the near term.
• Negative Sentiment: The immediate pressure is macroeconomic: higher long-term yields can increase market volatility, tighten financial conditions and weigh on investor sentiment toward banks and wealth managers. The rate spike also temporarily undermined Morgan Stanley’s technical breakout setup. Morgan Stanley Stock and Treasury Yield Rise

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on MS. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Dbs Bank raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Morgan Stanley from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, CICC Research raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.75.

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.