SG Americas Securities LLC Has $37.06 Million Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 24.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 225,219 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 74,431 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $37,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at $69,224,370.48. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS stock opened at $227.08 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The firm has a market cap of $358.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a 50 day moving average of $201.06 and a 200-day moving average of $183.67. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $135.01 and a 12-month high of $230.47.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The business had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.60 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 36.23%.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is exploring a major expansion in Texas, including a Dallas office-building deal, which suggests continued investment in its U.S. franchise and long-term growth plans. Morgan Stanley Weighs Expansion to Dallas With $1.33 Billion Office-Building Deal
• Positive Sentiment: The bank is expanding its crypto ETF offerings with proposed Ethereum and Solana funds, a move that could strengthen Morgan Stanley’s fee-based product lineup and attract new investor assets. Morgan Stanley (MS) Launches 0.14% Ethereum And Solana ETFs With 95% Staking Rewards
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was also mentioned as the hired advisor on SPS Commerce’s sale process, highlighting its dealmaking role but with limited direct impact on MS shares. SPS Commerce hires Morgan Stanley to explore sale amid activist push – Reuters
• Negative Sentiment: Separately, Morgan Stanley capped a private credit fund after redemption requests of 11.6%, a reminder that some alternative-credit products are facing investor pressure. Morgan Stanley caps private credit fund after redemption requests of 11.6%

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $207.65.

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.