Morgan Stanley $MS Stake Cut by Oak Harvest Investment Services

Oak Harvest Investment Services decreased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 128,216 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,794 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for 2.4% of Oak Harvest Investment Services’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Oak Harvest Investment Services’ holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $20,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 1,228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 178,998 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,454,000 after purchasing an additional 30,765 shares during the last quarter. Constitution Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 185.0% during the third quarter. Constitution Capital LLC now owns 4,560 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $725,000 after buying an additional 2,960 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 8,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,383,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.9% in the third quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 322,836 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $51,318,000 after buying an additional 14,968 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $179.85 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $285.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $94.33 and a 12 month high of $182.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $169.35 and its 200-day moving average is $155.14.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 13.85%.The business had revenue of $17.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.88 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $184.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Dbs Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.77.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research group named Western Digital (WDC) a 2026 top pick — a reminder that MS’s equity research is active and influential, supporting trading & investment-banking flow and recurring client engagement. Morgan Stanley Names Western Digital (WDC) a 2026 Top Pick Amid Cloud Capital Expenditure Boom
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and analyst activity continue across sectors (healthcare, utilities, data centers), reinforcing MS’s research/revenue mix and institutional relationships—a structural positive for fee and trading businesses. Example coverage includes Zoetis, PG&E, Vistra and Grail. Zoetis (ZTS) Positioned Within Morgan Stanley’s 2026 Healthcare Playbook
• Neutral Sentiment: MS itself is in the headlines as a trending stock (investor attention can increase short-term volatility but isn’t a directional fundamental). Zacks and other outlets have recently highlighted MS for investor interest. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Morgan Stanley (MS) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple Morgan Stanley analyst notes (resumed coverage, target changes across consumer and financial names) signal ongoing research-driven flow but are company-agnostic for MS’s own stock in the near term. Example: resumed coverage of Unilever and target moves on Diageo/Manulife. Morgan Stanley Resumes Coverage of Unilever (UL) with an Overweight View
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional activity tied to Morgan Stanley shows portfolio trimming in some names (e.g., Morgan Stanley reduced its TSLA holdings in recent filings), which can create perception of risk-taking reduction or repositioning by MS-managed funds. That may weigh on sentiment for the firm’s asset-management/trading outlook. $TSLA stock is down 3% today. Here’s what we see in our data.
• Negative Sentiment: TipRanks reports Morgan Stanley ceased to be a substantial holder in West African Resources — a visible example of MS trimming positions that can feed short-term headlines and investor caution even if not material to MS’s financials. Morgan Stanley Ceases to Be Substantial Holder in West African Resources

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.