Prudent Man Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Prudent Man Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,564 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for 0.7% of Prudent Man Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Prudent Man Advisors LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,920,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 91.9% during the 3rd quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at $23,598,777.60. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 280,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,501,921.22. This represents a 9.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $160.88 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $177.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $255.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $94.33 and a fifty-two week high of $192.68.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The company had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MS has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a report on Friday, January 16th. HSBC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $211.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.14.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is hiring contract staff in Hong Kong to handle a surge in listings and deal activity — a sign of higher origination and advisory revenue in Asia while keeping fixed costs flexible. Morgan Stanley hires contract staff in Hong Kong as deals surge (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: MS is active on the lending/credit side — it provided a sizable near-term loan facility to Core Scientific, highlighting deal flow and fee/interest income opportunities from structured financings. That supports revenue diversification beyond trading and wealth management. Core Scientific shares rise as investors focus on new Morgan Stanley financing (QuiverQuant)
• Positive Sentiment: At least one big bank (JPMorgan) raised its Morgan Stanley price target recently — a vote of confidence from a peer that can support sentiment and reduce near-term downside risk. JPMorgan forecasts strong price appreciation for Morgan Stanley (AmericanBankingNews)
• Neutral Sentiment: Firm strategy updates — Morgan Stanley is expanding strategic collaborations (EquityZen buyout, Zerohash crypto tie‑ups, etc.) to broaden its wealth/asset-management footprint; longer‑term potential but execution and timing remain uncertain. Will Morgan Stanley’s strategic collaborations drive long-term growth? (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor pieces on MS Direct Lending highlight attractive yields and discounts in the unit — this flags potential income but also concentration and liquidity risk; watch fund NAV, redemptions and regulatory filings. 12%+ yield, discount to NAV and buybacks — Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (Seeking Alpha)
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley restricted redemptions at one of its private‑credit funds after an investor withdrawal spike — this raises liquidity and valuation concerns for MS’s asset‑management/alternate‑credit business and is a near‑term headline risk. Morgan Stanley restricts redemptions at private credit fund after withdrawals surge (Reuters)
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and commentary about broader private‑credit stress (deteriorating credit in some sectors, valuation opacity) amplify the redemption story and could pressure fee income, AUM sentiment and reputational risk for MS if outflows continue. Private credit concerns grow as Morgan Stanley fund caps withdrawals (MarketWatch)

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.