Morgan Stanley $MS Position Increased by Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC

Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 240,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 30,000 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises 1.7% of Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $38,150,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $28,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $32,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC raised its position 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $35,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of MS stock opened at $189.17 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $94.33 and a 12 month high of $192.68. The company has a market cap of $300.65 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The business’s 50 day moving average is $175.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $160.22.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 39.18%.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s strong Q4 beat and record full?year revenue drove fresh valuation coverage that highlights earnings momentum and supports the stock. Assessing Morgan Stanley (MS) Valuation After Strong Q4 Beat And Record Full Year Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: High?profile endorsement: Jim Cramer publicly praised MS’s CEO performance, which can boost investor confidence in management execution and strategy. Morgan Stanley (MS)’s CEO is Doing a Great Job, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas raised its price target on Morgan Stanley, signaling continued analyst conviction and potential upside relative to the current price. BNP Paribas Lifts Price Target on Morgan Stanley
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline/deal flow: Jio Platforms has shortlisted Morgan Stanley as a lead banker for a potential mega IPO — winning such mandates would mean sizable advisory fees if the deal proceeds. Jio Platforms sets ball rolling on mega public float proposal
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic push: Morgan Stanley is publicly emphasizing digital assets and private?market investments — areas with higher fee potential and growing client demand. This pivot supports a higher?margin growth runway. Morgan Stanley Now Focused on Digital Assets, Private Market Investments
• Neutral Sentiment: Execution business activity: Morgan Stanley Europe executed Nordea’s share buybacks — a signal of ongoing institutional trading and execution revenue but limited direct impact on MS’s valuation. Nordea Reports Ongoing Share Buybacks Executed by Morgan Stanley Europe SE
• Neutral Sentiment: Research activity: Morgan Stanley analysts continue active coverage and company?specific calls (e.g., downgrading LVMH or reiterating ratings on Alibaba and others). This underlines the firm’s research influence but is indirect for MS stock moves. LVMH downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Flow signals: MS was named in Zacks’ momentum and income stock lists, which may attract short?term investor interest but has uncertain lasting impact. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for January 19th

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares in the company, 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. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $211.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.93.

Morgan Stanley 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.