Congress Asset Management Co. Reduces Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Congress Asset Management Co. reduced its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,118 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,659,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,123,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,779,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354,142 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 24,045,186 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,387,005,000 after purchasing an additional 749,150 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $2,234,883,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.9% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 13,438,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,894,023,000 after buying an additional 374,711 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.3% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,980,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,546,659,000 after buying an additional 28,420 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MS. Wolfe Research upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $198.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Barclays upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.77.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at $94,493,199.24. This trade represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research team is publishing bullish calls on large tech names tied to AI infrastructure — a sign of strong, market‑moving equity research that can drive client flows and trading/advisory revenue. Morgan Stanley Sees Cisco (CSCO) Benefiting From AI Infrastructure Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets note Morgan Stanley’s expanding ETF and deal franchise — strategic growth in fee‑based businesses that supports recurring revenue and underpins the bull case for MS. Does Morgan Stanley’s Expanding ETF And Deal Franchise Reshape The Bull Case For MS?
• Positive Sentiment: Street coverage highlights specific Morgan Stanley stock calls (e.g., a turnaround pick in consumer staples) that showcase the firm’s idea generation and may stimulate trading and client interest. Morgan Stanley Sees a Sweet Turnaround Play in This 1 Stock. Should You Buy Shares Here?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s macro team issued a tempering note — bullish on long‑term S&P upside but warning investors to “temper their exuberance.” This is mixed for markets: supportive of risk assets in 2026 but cautionary for short‑term positioning. Stock Market Bulls Should ‘Temper Their Exuberance,’ Warns Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/positioning note: Morgan Stanley notified that it ceased to be a substantial holder in a small external miner — procedural and unlikely to materially affect MS’s fundamentals. Morgan Stanley Ceases to Be Substantial Holder in Arafura Rare Earths
• Negative Sentiment: MS research is becoming more selective in its 2026 buy lists (dropping some tech names), which could signal more cautious client positioning and potentially lower near‑term trading churn in those areas. Morgan Stanley drops tech stocks to buy list for 2026

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $179.77 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $181.98. The business has a 50 day moving average of $167.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $153.42. The company has a market capitalization of $285.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.44, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The firm had revenue of $17.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 41.03%.

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.