Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Boosts Stake in Morgan Stanley $MS

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 307,865 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,144 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $54,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. HSBC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, January 16th. Evercore downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $187.14.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s proposed spot Bitcoin ETF (ticker MSBT) received an NYSE Arca listing notice — a step often right before launch. A live MS-branded spot-BTC ETF could create new fee income, broaden distribution of bitcoin exposure through MS channels, and intensify competition among ETF providers. Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF Nears Launch on NYSE
• Positive Sentiment: Potential underwriting/lead roles in a high-profile IPO (SpaceX) are being discussed in markets; if MS wins senior bookrunner roles it would generate meaningful investment-banking fees and bolster deal pipeline expectations. SpaceX IPO timing and banks
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and the firm’s research remain active: a MarketBeat/Erste note nudged FY2026 EPS estimates slightly higher for MS (small positive to consensus), while MS’s own research continues to drive coverage and client flows across sectors — supportive for franchise value but not an immediate share catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are positioned for Morgan Stanley’s upcoming Q1 2026 report and guidance commentary — previews and models are circulating and may drive intraday volatility around the print. Q1 2026 Earnings: What to Expect
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment has turned sour despite strong 2025 results; coverage stories note Reddit/social sentiment and retail positioning have shifted sharply bearish, which has pressured the stock even after record revenue and earnings beats. That crowd-sentiment shift is a likely proximate cause of the share weakness. Record Earnings Could Not Stop MS Shares From Falling
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded MS from strong-buy to hold — analyst downgrades can prompt short-term selling and signal reduced conviction from parts of the sell-side peer group. Zacks Downgrade / Coverage Note

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS stock opened at $163.20 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $171.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $168.86. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $192.68. The firm has a market cap of $259.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The firm 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 company posted $2.22 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 39.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total transaction 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 represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total transaction of $1,547,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 119,128 shares in the company, valued at $21,690,826.24. This represents a 6.66% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.