Dakota Wealth Management Boosts Stake in Morgan Stanley $MS

Dakota Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 366.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 50,838 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,938 shares during the quarter. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $8,081,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MS. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during 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 during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.2%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $168.73 on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $192.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $267.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $179.98 and a 200 day moving average of $166.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced 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 16.78%. The firm had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Evercore downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $185.93.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Market coverage notes the stock is outperforming peers today, reflecting renewed investor interest in the firm. Morgan Stanley (MS) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on major financial names and list Morgan Stanley among favored ways to play an M&A upcycle — a key revenue tailwind for MS’s investment banking and advisory franchises. Morgan Stanley or Evercore: Which is a Smarter Bet Amid M&A Upcycle?
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research highlighting a “reindustrialization renaissance” tied to AI-driven capex reinforces the firm’s positioning to benefit from higher corporate advisory and trading activity tied to the AI cycle. That thematic research can boost MS’s fees and trading flow. Morgan Stanley hails rare ‘reindustrialization renaissance’ of AI economy—but it’s better for computers than humans
• Positive Sentiment: Deal activity within Morgan Stanley’s private-equity arm signals continued fee generation and deal flow (MS Capital Partners completed an acquisition), a modest but visible positive for firm-wide fees. Morgan Stanley Capital Partners Acquires Security 101
• Neutral Sentiment: Elevated investor attention/search interest in MS is being reported — higher attention can increase volume and intraday moves but is not a fundamental change. Investors Heavily Search Morgan Stanley (MS): Here is What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Active analyst coverage at the firm (e.g., internal price‑target changes on other names) shows Morgan Stanley remains a major broker-dealer and research house — supportive for franchise credibility but indirect for MS stock. Morgan Stanley Slashes IONQ Price Target Ahead of Q4 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Lingering concerns that hit shares earlier this week — including commentary about AI risks to borrowers and elevated advisor recruitment/compensation costs — remain watch‑points; they can cap upside if costs or credit worries resurface. Why Morgan Stanley Stock Dropped on Monday Morgan Stanley’s Advisor Recruiting Costs Pile Up

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 280,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. This trade represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.