Cullen Capital Management LLC Has $267.17 Million Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Cullen Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,504,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 57,665 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 2.9% of Cullen Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Cullen Capital Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Morgan Stanley worth $267,170,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.3% during the 4th quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 26,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,696,000 after acquiring an additional 13,934 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 20,327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,609,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 25,669 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,557,000 after acquiring an additional 3,526 shares during the period. Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,768.8% during the 4th quarter. Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC now owns 314,912 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,906,000 after acquiring an additional 298,061 shares during the period. Finally, Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 1,877 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of MS stock opened at $214.19 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $128.81 and a 12-month high of $219.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $193.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $337.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.60 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MS. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Barclays upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.35.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 365,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Morgan Stanley to $187 from $179 while keeping a neutral rating, signaling improved expectations even though the new target still implies downside from current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Media coverage highlighted Morgan Stanley’s “wide awake” posture on M&A opportunities as the bank pursues a $10 trillion wealth-management ambition, which could support longer-term growth through acquisitions in advisors, private markets, and alternatives.
• Positive Sentiment: Additional reports emphasized Morgan Stanley’s continued strength in wealth management and its willingness to expand through inorganic growth, reinforcing the market’s view that the firm has multiple avenues for revenue growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted Morgan Stanley’s stock has climbed near its 52-week high, which may be drawing attention to valuation and limiting upside in the near term.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate to $11.97 from $12.00, a minor change that does not appear to have altered the broader bullish tone.
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary continues to frame Morgan Stanley’s valuation as stretched after a strong rally, and the stock’s proximity to its 52-week high may prompt profit-taking.

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.