Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. Takes $688,000 Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 4,330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $688,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MS. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $2,234,883,000. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,776,544 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 319.7% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,092,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $294,727,000 after purchasing an additional 1,593,774 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 18.1% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,623,305 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,355,537,000 after purchasing an additional 1,476,372 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.1% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,123,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,779,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354,142 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total transaction of $5,569,194.60. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 280,481 shares in the company, valued at $51,501,921.22. This trade represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Evercore lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, January 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.93.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS opened at $166.91 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $265.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $180.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.61. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $192.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.18%.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research team is promoting a bullish view on an AI-driven “reindustrialization” — expecting heavy data‑center capex and continued tech-led market opportunities, which supports the firm’s franchise value in research and institutional client businesses. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Third‑party coverage notes analysts remain constructive on top financials, with Morgan Stanley included among favored names — a signal that some investors still view MS as well‑positioned for fees and capital markets activity. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley analysts continue active coverage across sectors (examples today include fresh targets and re‑ratings on companies such as Travel + Leisure and Coty) — this underscores the firm’s steady research flow but has no direct immediate effect on MS’s own earnings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Other Morgan Stanley research notes (e.g., expectations for Nvidia’s results and sector calls) keep the firm visible in headlines — supportive for long‑term fee generation but not a short‑term catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concerns about Morgan Stanley’s recruiting and compensation costs resurfaced after coverage highlighted rising advisor‑recruiting expenses and large outstanding employee loans (reported at ~$4.8B), which could pressure margins and capital use. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Market pieces identify a fresh, direct sell‑side risk: lenders (including MS) are being repriced on worries that AI agents could undermine borrower credit profiles or create new underwriting risks — a thematic concern cited as a reason for today’s pullback. Article Title

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.