Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Acquired by Root Financial Partners LLC

Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 91.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,976 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $78,825,883,310. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,040,227,000. Cullen Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $295,482,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth approximately $110,938,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 89.7% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,410,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $232,092,000 after purchasing an additional 666,754 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.7%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $183.77 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $152.80 and a 52-week high of $232.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $289.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $201.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $204.27.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 19.40%. The company had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.80 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 12.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $217.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Freedom Capital upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Erste Group Bank lowered Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $260.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.62.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley, alongside Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, reportedly captured nearly 80% of the top five banks’ equity-trading revenue this year, generating a combined $52 billion. The surge was driven by heavy hedge-fund borrowing and leveraged activity tied to artificial intelligence hardware and semiconductor stocks, highlighting strong market-sensitive revenue potential for MS. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley are dominating the AI stock boom
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management received the 2026 Money Management Institute/Barron’s Wealth Management Advisory Platform of the Year award. The recognition reinforces the firm’s competitive position in advisory services and supports the longer-term growth case for its fee-based wealth-management business. Morgan Stanley Named 2026 Money Management Institute/Barron’s Wealth Management Advisory Platform of the Year
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage continues to focus on whether Morgan Stanley’s wealth-management operations can help stabilize performance. That business provides recurring fees and diversification from more cyclical investment-banking and trading results. Can Wealth Management Keep Morgan Stanley Steady?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley named Howmet Aerospace its top aerospace pick for the third quarter, replacing FTAI Aviation. The report reflects the firm’s research and advisory activity rather than a direct change to Morgan Stanley’s earnings outlook, so the effect on MS is limited. Morgan Stanley Names Top Aerospace Pick to Replace FTAI
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage questioning whether Morgan Stanley can sustain its valuation may be contributing to profit-taking after the recent run-up. At approximately 14.6 times earnings, the stock remains exposed to concerns about slowing growth or weaker capital-markets activity. Can Morgan Stanley Sustain Its Valuation?
• Negative Sentiment: Reported ETF net selling of Morgan Stanley shares on October 19 represents a near-term technical headwind, potentially adding to downside pressure even without a new fundamental deterioration. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Morgan Stanley

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, institutions, governments and individual investors. Founded in 1935, the company is headquartered in New York City and serves clients through operations across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other international markets.

Through its Institutional Securities segment, Morgan Stanley offers investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading, research, lending and related capital-markets services.