Arizona State Retirement System Trims Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Arizona State Retirement System reduced its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 336,232 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 13,772 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $59,691,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.6% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 27,321,214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,343,523,000 after purchasing an additional 167,487 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 1.9% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 24,494,146 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,893,590,000 after purchasing an additional 448,960 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 6.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 14,260,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,267,847,000 after purchasing an additional 822,120 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 9,712,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,543,831,000 after buying an additional 354,871 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,083,580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,443,926,000 after buying an additional 249,023 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $188.66 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $169.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $171.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $111.24 and a twelve month high of $194.59. The company has a market capitalization of $298.34 billion, a PE ratio of 17.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 14.65%.The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.60 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.8 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 36.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Argus increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $196.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 365,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% 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. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 110,444 shares of company stock worth $20,665,049. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reported solid Q1 results and has been active on capital (dividend, buybacks and funding moves) — fundamentals and capital returns support valuation. Morgan Stanley’s Strong Q1 Earnings And Capital Moves Could Be A Game Changer For Morgan Stanley (MS)
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage is constructive: BMO raised its MS price target (supportive to sentiment/price targets from the sell side). BMO Capital Markets Increases Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $220.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and research pieces highlight Morgan Stanley’s role as an influential analyst and wealth manager (e.g., research on gaming/AI and sustainable investing) — these shape longer-term thematic flows but aren’t an immediate price catalyst. Gaming industry could unlock $22 billion in profits on AI-driven cost cuts, says Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s own macro take (downgrading near-term GDP outlook / warning on consumer dynamics) is being cited by media — that soft macro view can dampen investor appetite for bank cyclicality and reduce the “earnings multiple” investors are willing to pay. Morgan Stanley drops stunning take on GDP outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling was reported (executive sale disclosure), which can be interpreted negatively by some traders even if sales are routine. Combined with lower intraday volume vs. average, this can amplify moves down. Eric Grossman Sells 11,118 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock

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.