Cullinan Associates Inc. Sells 6,322 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Cullinan Associates Inc. decreased its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 15.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,150 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,322 shares during the quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $5,428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 2,983 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 2,922 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First National Corp MA ADV purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $232,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $94,493,199.24. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MS. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $184.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.85.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE MS opened at $182.82 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $290.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.75, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $188.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $173.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $158.94.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 13.85%.The company had revenue of $17.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.88 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley filed spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs — a direct entry into the large crypto?ETF market that could attract new fee revenue and client flows if approved. This validates MS’s push to capture institutional crypto asset demand. Get Ready for Crypto Exposure as Morgan Stanley Joins the ETF Race
• Positive Sentiment: MS’s private?equity arm took a majority stake in engineering firm Olsson — an action that expands PE investments and potential carry/realization upside over time. The deal signals continued deal activity from MS’s alternatives business. Morgan Stanley’s PE unit takes majority stake in engineering firm Olsson
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is moving deeper into crypto services — reports the firm plans a crypto wallet — an execution step that complements ETF filings and could increase wallet/service revenue and client engagement in digital assets. Morgan Stanley Plans to Launch Cryptocurrency Wallet
• Positive Sentiment: Positive market commentary: CNBC/Yahoo coverage highlights strong asset?gathering at Morgan Stanley — a positive for fee income and long?term AUM growth. That narrative supports the stock if earnings confirm continued asset inflows. Jim Cramer Says “The Asset Gathering in Morgan Stanley Has Been Extraordinary”
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are re?setting expectations ahead of MS’s Q4 earnings (reporting the week of Jan. 15). Forecast revisions and previews are increasing attention but create two?way risk depending on trade/IB performance. Top Wall Street Forecasters Revamp Morgan Stanley Expectations Ahead Of Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 previews expect trading and investment?banking to be key drivers of revenue; positive beats could lift the stock, while any softness in trading/IB would be a near?term headwind. Is MS Stock a Buy Ahead of Q4 Earnings on Favorable Industry Trends?
• Negative Sentiment: Sector headwinds: weakness in large banks (JPMorgan and peers) has weighed on financials today and is likely dragging MS lower despite its positive strategic moves — investors are trimming ahead of earnings season and reacting to JPM?led market moves. Earnings Preview: Morgan Stanley to Report This Week

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.