M&T Bank Corp Has $3.86 Million Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

M&T Bank Corp lowered its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 97.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 21,764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 750,451 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,864,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE MS opened at $188.13 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $112.03 and a 1-year high of $194.59. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $170.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $172.01. The company has a market capitalization of $297.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value 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. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 110,444 shares of company stock worth $20,665,049 in the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: MSIM launched a Stablecoin Reserves Portfolio (MSNXX) aimed at stablecoin issuers — a new money‑market/reserve solution that positions Morgan Stanley as a provider of regulatory‑aligned cash reserves for the growing payment‑stablecoin market. This is strategically important because it can win fee income, strengthen MS’s digital‑assets franchise and deepen client relationships in crypto. MS stablecoin reserves fund
• Positive Sentiment: Third‑party analyst activity is supportive: BNP Paribas Exane raised its price target on MS to $205 (from $195), citing upside vs. the share price — a clear vote of confidence that can help investor sentiment. BNP Paribas raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and research note coverage (Zacks, other outlets) continue to highlight MS as a solid momentum/dividend and growth play — reinforcing buy‑side interest in the wealth‑management and capital‑markets franchises that drive recurring revenue. Zacks momentum coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley expanded market infrastructure ties (e.g., added as an NZX clearing participant) and continues to show institutional product rollout — incremental business development but not immediately earnings‑material. NZX clearing participant
• Neutral Sentiment: MS has been cited across media coverage for analyst model updates and sector research (examples: packaged‑foods coverage updates, biopharma model tweaks). These signals illustrate active franchise research but don’t directly move MS’s revenues. MS analyst activity examples
• Negative Sentiment: Intraday weakness likely reflects profit‑taking/positioning and options‑oriented selling: Schaeffer and other options commentators recently highlighted bearish trades tied to MS, which can amplify short‑term downward pressure. Lower-than‑average volume today (per background data) also suggests a thinner market exacerbating small sell flows. Schaeffer options note

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $189.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wolfe Research reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.89.

About Morgan Stanley

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.