Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Sold by Madison Asset Management LLC

Madison Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 123,193 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 23,095 shares during the period. Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $19,583,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings 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 worth $16,779,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354,142 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.2% during the second 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 acquiring an additional 749,150 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,234,883,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 13,438,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,894,023,000 after acquiring an additional 374,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley rehired veteran dealmaker Michael Grimes to lead investment banking, a move that should strengthen the firm’s front‑office capacity for M&A and capital markets execution — a direct positive for future fee income and deal flow. Morgan Stanley rehires Grimes to lead investment banking – report
• Positive Sentiment: MS analysts/public research argue the A.I. rally can continue this year — a bullish macro/sector view that supports trading and investment banking activity tied to technology names, which can lift trading volumes and advisory mandates. Morgan Stanley Says A.I. Rally Can Continue This Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s presentation at the UBS Financial Services Conference (transcript) provides management commentary and strategy detail — worth reading for updates on the wealth pivot, capital return, and trading outlook but not a market mover by itself. Morgan Stanley (MS) Presents at UBS Financial Services Conference 2026 Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research also warned that an AI‑led software selloff could pose risks to a large segment of the U.S. credit market — a caution that can amplify market volatility and depress banks’ trading and credit-related revenue if risk‑off sentiment spreads. That macro risk likely offsets some of the positive firm‑specific news. AI‑led software selloff may pose risk for $1.5 trillion U.S. credit market, says Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pieces (e.g., Zacks) continue to debate whether MS’s shift toward wealth management justifies the current multiple given rising expenses — a valuation/earnings‑quality concern that can pressure the stock despite strong fee and trading results. Is Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Pivot Enough to Make the Stock a Buy?

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $177.94 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $181.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.66. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $192.68. The company has a market capitalization of $282.80 billion, a PE ratio of 17.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 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 EPS 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 company had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 39.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on MS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Dbs Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $211.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.93.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total transaction of $5,569,194.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 280,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. This represents a 9.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is currently 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.