Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Boosts Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 97.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,311 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 91.9% in the third 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MS shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $122.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.77.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.2%

MS opened at $181.65 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $288.69 billion, a PE ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $182.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $168.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.95.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. The company had revenue of $17.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 13.85%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at $94,493,199.24. This trade represents a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks summary notes MS outperformed the market in the latest session and highlights factors supporting the rally — a quick reference that momentum and analyst attention are lifting the stock. Morgan Stanley (MS) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Positive Sentiment: MS appears on a Zacks list of high-yield S&P names, reinforcing investor interest in the stock for income-oriented portfolios and supporting demand from dividend-focused funds. Top 5 High-Yield S&P 500 Stocks to Buy for Reliable Returns in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research named NVDA, AVGO and ALAB among top chip picks for 2026 — a sign MS research is engaged in growth sectors that can drive trading and advisory revenues. That helps positioning and client flows into MS’s investment-banking and trading franchises. Morgan Stanley Picks NVDA, AVGO, and ALAB as Top Chip Stocks for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund appointed a new compliance chief — a governance move that reduces operational/regulatory risk for the firm’s credit business and can reassure fund investors. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Names New Compliance Chief
• Neutral Sentiment: The Zacks Analyst Blog referenced Morgan Stanley among several firms in a roundup — useful for visibility but not a material company-specific development. The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Invesco, Johnson & Johnson, NiSource, Bunge Global and Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley analysts continue to publish sector calls (for example downgrading Enterprise Products) and adjust targets — this shows active coverage that influences trading flows but is company-research activity rather than a direct corporate event. Morgan Stanley Downgrades Enterprise Products (EPD) as Growth Story Fades
• Neutral Sentiment: MS economists’ commentary on U.K. fiscal constraints (coverage in Proactive) signals the firm’s macro views are in play for clients and policymakers — important for client advisory but not a direct stock event. Rachel Reeves’ hopes for an easier year meet a hard dose of reality. Here’s what’s in store in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Nasdaq reported a rise in short interest across its securities — a broader market signal that can increase volatility and weigh on financial stocks during risk-off moves; this is a market-level headwind for banks that are sensitive to trading volumes and market sentiment. Nasdaq Reports Increase in Short Interest Across Global Market Securities as of December 15, 2025

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.