Rhumbline Advisers Has $356 Million Stock Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Rhumbline Advisers lessened its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,239,539 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 25,232 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $355,997,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MS. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. raised 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, January 16th. Barclays raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $185.93.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley rehired veteran dealmaker Michael Grimes to lead investment banking, a move that should strengthen the firm’s front‑office capacity for M&A and capital markets execution — a direct positive for future fee income and deal flow. Morgan Stanley rehires Grimes to lead investment banking – report
• Positive Sentiment: MS analysts/public research argue the A.I. rally can continue this year — a bullish macro/sector view that supports trading and investment banking activity tied to technology names, which can lift trading volumes and advisory mandates. Morgan Stanley Says A.I. Rally Can Continue This Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s presentation at the UBS Financial Services Conference (transcript) provides management commentary and strategy detail — worth reading for updates on the wealth pivot, capital return, and trading outlook but not a market mover by itself. Morgan Stanley (MS) Presents at UBS Financial Services Conference 2026 Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research also warned that an AI‑led software selloff could pose risks to a large segment of the U.S. credit market — a caution that can amplify market volatility and depress banks’ trading and credit-related revenue if risk‑off sentiment spreads. That macro risk likely offsets some of the positive firm‑specific news. AI‑led software selloff may pose risk for $1.5 trillion U.S. credit market, says Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pieces (e.g., Zacks) continue to debate whether MS’s shift toward wealth management justifies the current multiple given rising expenses — a valuation/earnings‑quality concern that can pressure the stock despite strong fee and trading results. Is Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Pivot Enough to Make the Stock a Buy?

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $177.94 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $282.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $192.68. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $181.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $164.66.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.92%. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider owned 171,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,464,920. This represents a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total value of $2,942,225.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 135,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,135,424.08. This trade represents a 10.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.