Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Bought by Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 307,865 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,144 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $54,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $211.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $187.14.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $163.20 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $171.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $168.86. 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 has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $192.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $259.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The firm had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.18%.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s proposed spot Bitcoin ETF (ticker MSBT) received an NYSE Arca listing notice — a step often right before launch. A live MS-branded spot-BTC ETF could create new fee income, broaden distribution of bitcoin exposure through MS channels, and intensify competition among ETF providers. Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF Nears Launch on NYSE
• Positive Sentiment: Potential underwriting/lead roles in a high-profile IPO (SpaceX) are being discussed in markets; if MS wins senior bookrunner roles it would generate meaningful investment-banking fees and bolster deal pipeline expectations. SpaceX IPO timing and banks
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and the firm’s research remain active: a MarketBeat/Erste note nudged FY2026 EPS estimates slightly higher for MS (small positive to consensus), while MS’s own research continues to drive coverage and client flows across sectors — supportive for franchise value but not an immediate share catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are positioned for Morgan Stanley’s upcoming Q1 2026 report and guidance commentary — previews and models are circulating and may drive intraday volatility around the print. Q1 2026 Earnings: What to Expect
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment has turned sour despite strong 2025 results; coverage stories note Reddit/social sentiment and retail positioning have shifted sharply bearish, which has pressured the stock even after record revenue and earnings beats. That crowd-sentiment shift is a likely proximate cause of the share weakness. Record Earnings Could Not Stop MS Shares From Falling
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded MS from strong-buy to hold — analyst downgrades can prompt short-term selling and signal reduced conviction from parts of the sell-side peer group. Zacks Downgrade / Coverage Note

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.