Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Reduces Stake in Morgan Stanley $MS

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 277,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 21,604 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 2.0% of Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $49,347,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 27,321,214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,343,523,000 after purchasing an additional 167,487 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 1.9% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 24,494,146 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,893,590,000 after buying an additional 448,960 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 6.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 14,260,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,267,847,000 after buying an additional 822,120 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.8% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 9,712,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,543,831,000 after acquiring an additional 354,871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,083,580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,443,926,000 after acquiring an additional 249,023 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $158.37 on Monday. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $192.68. The firm has a market cap of $251.48 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.20. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $171.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

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

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. HSBC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $187.14.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: NYSE Arca issued a formal listing notice for Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF (ticker MSBT), a step that typically signals an imminent launch — this should create a new distribution channel and potential fee revenue/asset-gathering opportunity for MS. Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF Gets Official Listing Announcement By NYSE: Analyst Says This ‘Typically’ Means Launch Imminent
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts note Morgan Stanley plans to price its Bitcoin ETF among the lowest-fee options in market — a potentially effective growth tactic to win flows vs. incumbents, which could translate into AUM growth and recurring fees if the fund scales. Morgan Stanley’s (MS) New Bitcoin ETF to Offer Lowest Fees in the Market
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group nudged up its FY2026 EPS forecast for Morgan Stanley — a small analyst revision that supports the firm’s longer-term earnings trajectory and can be read as reaffirmation by the Street (helpful for sentiment).
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are entering Morgan Stanley’s Q1 2026 earnings season; previews and expectations create two-way risk (beats can lift the stock; misses can amplify weakness). See the expectations summary for context. Morgan Stanley’s Q1 2026 Earnings: What to Expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader business notes and research from MS (e.g., comparisons with Schwab and sector-level analyst actions) underline that Morgan Stanley’s wealth-management franchise remains a differentiator, but such structural positives may be priced in. MS vs. SCHW: Who Holds the Edge in the Evolving Wealth Landscape?
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and market-positioning headwinds — a stronger dollar, haven flows tied to the Middle East conflict and broad tech/financial volatility — are pressuring stocks today and likely weigh on MS despite the ETF/newsflow. This kind of risk-off can drive short-term selling even when firm-specific items look constructive. Wall Street’s FX Roadmap Roiled by Dollar’s Best Run Since 2024

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider 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. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total transaction of $5,569,194.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 280,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. This represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In 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 company insiders.

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.