Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Sells 127,480 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,920,977 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 127,480 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $464,318,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 9.0% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 18,175 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,889,000 after purchasing an additional 1,505 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2,654.1% in the third quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 3,718 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 3,583 shares during the period. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.6% during the third quarter. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,392 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $882,000 after buying an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 96.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 86.2% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 568 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $285.98 billion, a PE ratio of 17.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $192.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.18%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 280,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. This trade represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,464,920. This represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506 over the last 90 days. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $185.93.

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.