4,907 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS Purchased by Cornerstone Enterprises LLC

Cornerstone Enterprises LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 4,907 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $923,000. Morgan Stanley comprises approximately 0.6% of Cornerstone Enterprises LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth about $8,854,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 201.0% during the first quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,559 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,890,000 after purchasing an additional 11,726 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.9% during the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 294,047 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $61,468,000 after purchasing an additional 28,877 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 12.0% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 279,622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,452,000 after buying an additional 30,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 13.4% in the first quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 2,422,284 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $398,635,000 after buying an additional 287,056 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $182.25 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $205.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $203.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $287.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.46, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $152.80 and a fifty-two week high of $232.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 15.63%. The business had revenue of $20.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buy back $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.19%.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. Morgan Stanley reported $3.03 in EPS versus a $2.93 consensus estimate and $20.34 billion in revenue versus expectations of $19.93 billion. Revenue rose 11.6% year over year, while net income attributable to the firm reached approximately $4.9 billion. Morgan Stanley earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Equity trading and wealth management led growth. Institutional Securities revenue rose to $10.0 billion, helped by a 41% increase in equity revenue. Wealth Management generated record $9.1 billion revenue, added $232.4 billion in net new assets and reached $10.5 trillion in client assets. Morgan Stanley Q3 earnings call transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns remain supportive. Morgan Stanley repurchased $1.54 billion of stock and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share, equivalent to an annualized $4.60 payout. Morgan Stanley dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Management highlighted longer-term opportunities in AI financing and investment banking. These initiatives could expand revenue, but their financial impact remains uncertain. Morgan Stanley earnings call highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target cuts are offsetting the earnings beat. Citigroup lowered its target to $190 and maintained a neutral rating, TD Cowen cut its target to $205 and kept a hold rating, while Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced its outperform target to $230. Piper Sandler also lowered its target to $205. The revisions suggest investors may view the strong trading performance as partly cyclical. Morgan Stanley analyst forecast changes
• Negative Sentiment: Fixed-income trading was weaker amid bond-market volatility. The decline highlights Morgan Stanley’s exposure to uneven market conditions and raises questions about whether equity-trading momentum can persist.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $205.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective (down from $250.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $217.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.71.

Morgan Stanley Profile

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm serving corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and other investors. The company provides investment banking and advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, equity and debt underwriting, securities sales and trading, and corporate lending.

Through its Wealth Management business, Morgan Stanley offers financial planning, brokerage, investment advisory and banking services to individual investors, businesses and institutions.