Fulcrum Asset Management LLP Has $1.15 Million Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Fulcrum Asset Management LLP reduced its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 61.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,229 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,335 shares during the period. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,149,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MS. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 91.9% in the 3rd quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares in the company, valued at $31,464,920. This represents a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 127,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,598,777.60. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Evercore downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.14.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management announced it surpassed $1 trillion in IRA assets under management — a credibility and fee-growth milestone for the advisory business that supports recurring revenue and investor confidence. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Surpasses $1 Trillion in Individual Retirement Account Assets Under Management
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s infrastructure arm agreed to sell its stake in the Bayonne Energy Center — a realization event for its private infrastructure platform that can improve reported results for MSIM and validate deal execution. Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners Agrees to Sell Bayonne Energy Center
• Positive Sentiment: Industry reports are highlighting Morgan Stanley among attractive investment‑bank names as trading, underwriting and advisory momentum improve — supportive for valuation multiples across the group. 3 Investment Bank Stocks to Buy From a Flourishing Industry
• Neutral Sentiment: The firm’s own macro views (e.g., sticking with a June rate‑cut call) help frame expectations for net interest income and market activity — this is a mixed but market-moving stance that traders will digest alongside Fed expectations. Morgan Stanley Sticks With June Rate Cut Call as Oil Surges
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley strategists (notably Mike Wilson) have warned the market may not have bottomed — that bearish research can pressure cyclical financial names if investors rotate to defensives. Stocks haven’t hit bottom yet, says the analyst who called a ‘rolling recession’ when everyone else saw a boom
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research flagged broader risks in private credit from AI-driven disruption — commentary that could raise concerns about MS’s exposure through credit and alternative‑asset businesses. Investors will watch for how the firm hedges or discloses that exposure. Morgan Stanley says AI disruption of software will send private credit defaults surging

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $157.89 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $174.90 and a 200-day moving average of $168.49. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $192.68. The company has a market cap of $250.71 billion, a PE ratio of 15.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.20. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The company had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 39.18%.

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.