Brookwood Investment Group LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Brookwood Investment Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 88.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,840 shares during the period. Brookwood Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $963,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 84.1% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth about $542,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 29.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 259,583 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,468,000 after acquiring an additional 59,351 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 11,095.5% in the 1st quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 9,852 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,149,000 after acquiring an additional 9,764 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on MS. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $198.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $181.81 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The stock has a market cap of $288.95 billion, a PE ratio of 18.65, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s fifty day moving average is $170.86 and its 200 day moving average is $156.33. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $182.34.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 13.85%.The firm had revenue of $17.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe Bruyette raised Morgan Stanley’s price target (reported Dec. 17), lifting broker sentiment and supporting upside to the shares. Morgan Stanley (MS) Price Target Raised by $18
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley management set an optimistic, bullish tone for 2026 — messaging that can boost investor confidence around revenue growth and capital-markets activity. Morgan Stanley (MS) Sets Bullish Tone for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Research mention: Morgan Stanley’s analysis estimating AI could automate ~37% of commercial‑real‑estate tasks and unlock ~$34B in efficiencies highlights the firm’s advisory/research reach and could help win CRE advisory and tech‑related mandates. Commercial Real Estate Turns to AI to Automate the Back Office
• Neutral Sentiment: MS screens well on earnings‑growth metrics in a recent stock‑scan writeup, reinforcing the narrative of durable earnings but offering no immediate catalyst. We Ran A Stock Scan For Earnings Growth And Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Passed With Ease
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage activity by MS analysts (e.g., public picks and sector calls) underscores the brokerage’s research platform but mostly influences recurring revenue over time rather than an immediate stock move. Microsoft (MSFT) Named Top Large-Cap Software Pick by Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece flags ongoing underperformance at Morgan Stanley’s Direct Lending arm, which could pressure fee and asset‑management revenue and is a clear near‑term negative for MS’s alternatives business. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending: Continues To Disappoint Going Into 2026

About Morgan Stanley

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.