ABN AMRO Bank N.V. Grows Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 569.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 296,764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 252,435 shares during the quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $47,484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 36.1% during the 2nd quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 2,893 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 767 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 18.4% during the 2nd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 29,991 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,225,000 after buying an additional 4,659 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 3,570 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $503,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. Finally, RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $35,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 value of $5,569,194.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 280,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,501,921.22. The trade was a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.6%

MS opened at $179.94 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $180.22 and its 200-day moving average is $163.46. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $192.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $285.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share 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 16.92%. The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, HSBC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.93.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s Q4 strength and commentary on a rebound in investment banking have prompted analysts to re‑rate the stock and revisit valuation, supporting longer‑term upside. Morgan Stanley (MS) Valuation Check After Strong Q4 2025 Results And Rebound In Investment Banking
• Positive Sentiment: RBC raised its price target on Morgan Stanley after the strong fourth‑quarter results, a sign some firms see room for multiple expansion or earnings traction. RBC boosts Morgan Stanley (MS) price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Firm initiatives and investor outreach continue — Morgan Stanley hosted its Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Demo Day, highlighting business development and franchise initiatives (positive for PR / long‑term pipeline but unlikely to move near‑term trading materially). Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Hosts Global Demo Day
• Neutral Sentiment: Market rotation and sector flows reported by E*TRADE/Morgan Stanley clients (sector rotation study) may be rebalancing asset managers’ bank exposures — a technical factor affecting intraday moves. E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley Releases Monthly Sector Rotation Study
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and trade commentary have drawn attention — media pieces covering insider sales / trading views can weigh on sentiment even when fundamentals are solid. That dynamic has likely contributed to downward pressure. Morgan Stanley Insider Sale And Trade Views Shape Risk And Value Narrative

Morgan Stanley 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.