Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Lowers Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC cut its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 39.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,043 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,094 shares during the quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 40.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 29,744 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,281,000 after purchasing an additional 8,512 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 646,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $116,102,000 after buying an additional 65,246 shares during the last quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at about $8,854,000. KTF Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $15,945,000. Finally, Arsenal Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $814,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $217.71 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $141.03 and a 52-week high of $232.25. The stock has a market cap of $343.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.60, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.22. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $216.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $192.55.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The company had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on MS. CICC Research increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Argus raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.75.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings forecast: Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS estimate for Morgan Stanley to $13.70 from $13.65 and maintained a Buy rating. The estimate is above the broader consensus of $12.79, supporting the view that continued investment-banking, trading and wealth-management strength could drive earnings growth. Erste Group raises Morgan Stanley earnings estimate
• Positive Sentiment: $1.5 trillion innovation initiative: Morgan Stanley launched a U.S. Innovation Infrastructure Initiative targeting approximately $1.5 trillion in capital for infrastructure, technology and national-security-related investment. The program could expand the firm’s role in capital raising, advisory services and asset management, although the financial benefit is expected to develop over time. Morgan Stanley innovation infrastructure initiative
• Positive Sentiment: Real-estate investment deployment: Morgan Stanley Investment Management acquired a 1.5-million-square-foot Ace Hardware distribution facility in Kansas City for $158.5 million through its real-estate funds. The transaction demonstrates continued deployment of client capital and adds to Morgan Stanley’s alternative-investment platform, though it is not expected to materially affect near-term results. Morgan Stanley acquires Kansas City distribution facility
• Neutral Sentiment: Favorable market backdrop: Commentary comparing Morgan Stanley with Bank of America highlighted stronger capital-markets activity, trading volumes and improving investment-banking conditions in the first half of 2026. However, the comparison also noted Morgan Stanley’s relatively higher valuation and greater market exposure, which may limit upside if deal activity or trading conditions weaken. Bank of America versus Morgan Stanley investment comparison

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.