Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Bought by Vestor Capital LLC

Vestor Capital LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 43.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 14,410 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,344 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,710,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Atlatl Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 55.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS opened at $187.13 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $152.80 and a 52-week high of $232.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $194.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $194.33. The firm has a market cap of $295.15 billion, a PE ratio of 14.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.93 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 15.63%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.80 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $217.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $243.00 to $195.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $250.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $214.81.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Vinyl Equity adds tools for cap-table management, equity administration and share transfers across private and public markets. The acquisition also includes digital-asset infrastructure, supporting Morgan Stanley’s effort to connect company equity services with its wealth-management business. Financial terms were not disclosed. Morgan Stanley to Acquire Digital-Native Transfer Agent Vinyl Equity
• Positive Sentiment: The strategic rationale is the opportunity to serve companies and employees through the IPO process and beyond. Coverage cited IPO-related flows as a meaningful contributor to Morgan Stanley’s recent wealth-asset inflows, though the potential benefits depend on IPO activity and successful integration of Vinyl. Morgan Stanley buys Vinyl Equity to capture more IPO wealth
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate report says Morgan Stanley is trimming exposure to data-center construction loans as AI financing shifts toward private-credit funds and asset managers. This changes the bank’s exposure to the sector, but the article does not quantify the financial impact. Morgan Stanley Trims Data Center Loan Exposure As AI Financing Shifts

Morgan Stanley Profile

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals.

Its Institutional Securities business offers services such as financial advisory, capital raising, sales and trading, and research. The company also provides financial planning, brokerage and banking services through its Wealth Management business, while its Investment Management business offers investment strategies and portfolio management to a range of clients.

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley serves clients in the United States and across international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.