Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Acquired by Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC

Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 240,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 30,000 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises about 1.7% of Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $38,150,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in 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. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 2.5% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 60,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,560,000 after buying an additional 1,468 shares during the period. CX Institutional lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.6% during the second quarter. CX Institutional now owns 7,835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,104,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 9.3% during the second quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,355 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $191,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 42.7% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 17,002 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,395,000 after acquiring an additional 5,090 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS opened at $189.17 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $192.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The firm has a market cap of $300.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $175.70 and a 200-day moving average of $160.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm 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 forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS 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. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 39.18%.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s strong Q4 beat and record full‑year revenue drove fresh valuation coverage that highlights earnings momentum and supports the stock. Assessing Morgan Stanley (MS) Valuation After Strong Q4 Beat And Record Full Year Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile endorsement: Jim Cramer publicly praised MS’s CEO performance, which can boost investor confidence in management execution and strategy. Morgan Stanley (MS)’s CEO is Doing a Great Job, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas raised its price target on Morgan Stanley, signaling continued analyst conviction and potential upside relative to the current price. BNP Paribas Lifts Price Target on Morgan Stanley
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline/deal flow: Jio Platforms has shortlisted Morgan Stanley as a lead banker for a potential mega IPO — winning such mandates would mean sizable advisory fees if the deal proceeds. Jio Platforms sets ball rolling on mega public float proposal
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic push: Morgan Stanley is publicly emphasizing digital assets and private‑market investments — areas with higher fee potential and growing client demand. This pivot supports a higher‑margin growth runway. Morgan Stanley Now Focused on Digital Assets, Private Market Investments
• Neutral Sentiment: Execution business activity: Morgan Stanley Europe executed Nordea’s share buybacks — a signal of ongoing institutional trading and execution revenue but limited direct impact on MS’s valuation. Nordea Reports Ongoing Share Buybacks Executed by Morgan Stanley Europe SE
• Neutral Sentiment: Research activity: Morgan Stanley analysts continue active coverage and company‑specific calls (e.g., downgrading LVMH or reiterating ratings on Alibaba and others). This underlines the firm’s research influence but is indirect for MS stock moves. LVMH downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Flow signals: MS was named in Zacks’ momentum and income stock lists, which may attract short‑term investor interest but has uncertain lasting impact. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for January 19th

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on MS. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $211.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Three 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.93.

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.