Optimize Financial Inc Takes $484,000 Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Optimize Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $484,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Auxano Advisors LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 2,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $457,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 44,747 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,113,000 after buying an additional 645 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.9% during the third quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 23,195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,687,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 56.9% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,869 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 678 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 9.0% in the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 18,175 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,889,000 after acquiring an additional 1,505 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $179.94 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $94.33 and a fifty-two week high of $192.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $285.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.62, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $180.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $163.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The company had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued 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 is currently 39.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $185.93.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s Q4 strength and commentary on a rebound in investment banking have prompted analysts to re‑rate the stock and revisit valuation, supporting longer‑term upside. Morgan Stanley (MS) Valuation Check After Strong Q4 2025 Results And Rebound In Investment Banking
• Positive Sentiment: RBC raised its price target on Morgan Stanley after the strong fourth‑quarter results, a sign some firms see room for multiple expansion or earnings traction. RBC boosts Morgan Stanley (MS) price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Firm initiatives and investor outreach continue — Morgan Stanley hosted its Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Demo Day, highlighting business development and franchise initiatives (positive for PR / long‑term pipeline but unlikely to move near‑term trading materially). Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Hosts Global Demo Day
• Neutral Sentiment: Market rotation and sector flows reported by E*TRADE/Morgan Stanley clients (sector rotation study) may be rebalancing asset managers’ bank exposures — a technical factor affecting intraday moves. E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley Releases Monthly Sector Rotation Study
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and trade commentary have drawn attention — media pieces covering insider sales / trading views can weigh on sentiment even when fundamentals are solid. That dynamic has likely contributed to downward pressure. Morgan Stanley Insider Sale And Trade Views Shape Risk And Value Narrative

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total transaction of $1,547,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 119,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,690,826.24. The trade was a 6.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at $65,254,222.62. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.