Chilton Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Chilton Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 37.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 292,178 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 171,630 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up 1.6% of Chilton Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Chilton Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $46,445,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth about $2,234,883,000. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 23.4% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 9,357,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,318,055,000 after acquiring an additional 1,776,544 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 319.7% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,092,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $294,727,000 after acquiring an additional 1,593,774 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,623,305 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,355,537,000 after acquiring an additional 1,476,372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.1% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,354,142 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $181.85 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $192.68. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $177.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $161.59. The company has a market cap of $289.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.81, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 14.09%.The firm had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.93.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is expanding in Asia to capture deregulation, rising IPO activity and higher trading volumes — a strategic push that could lift fee income, underwriting and trading revenue over the medium term. Morgan Stanley (MS) Eyes Asia Expansion amid Deregulation and Market Boom
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research and macro desks flag continued strength in carry trades (selling dollars, buying EM currencies) — a tailwind for fixed‑income and FX trading revenues if the dollar weakness persists. That macro view supports optimism about trading volumes and client flows. Morgan Stanley, BofA see more in best carry rally since 2009
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlighting Morgan Stanley’s franchise strength and regulatory shifts has reinforced longer‑term upside narratives around its wealth and advisory franchise — supportive for investor sentiment on durable earnings and multiple expansion. Morgan Stanley’s (MS) Franchise Strength and Regulatory Shifts Fuel Long-Term Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research lifted its bull case on gold as prices surged — a signal of influential research that can move markets and trading flows, but not a direct near‑term earnings driver for the bank. Gold Vaults Past $5,000 as Morgan Stanley Lifts Bull Case to $5,700
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund set an earnings/Q4 call — routine corporate reporting that may affect the fund’s holders but has limited direct impact on MS’s consolidated results. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Sets Q4 2025 Earnings Call
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple filings reported insider selling by Morgan Stanley executives in recent days — headline risk that can pressure sentiment short‑term even if sales are for diversification or tax purposes. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) CFO Sells $2,942,225.26 in Stock

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total transaction of $1,547,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 119,128 shares in the company, valued at $21,690,826.24. This trade represents a 6.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total transaction of $2,942,225.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 135,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,135,424.08. This trade represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 196,223 shares of company stock valued at $34,150,220. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley 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.