Northstar Advisory Group LLC Acquires 11,394 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Northstar Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 427.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,062 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,394 shares during the quarter. Northstar Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $2,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MS. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the third quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,222 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 877 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. LeConte Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. LeConte Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 3,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $435,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 4.7% during the third quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,518 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday. Dbs Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.93.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is stepping up its presence in Asia to capture deregulation-led IPO activity, higher trading volumes and fee opportunities — a strategic push that could lift investment banking and trading revenue over time. Morgan Stanley (MS) Eyes Asia Expansion amid Deregulation and Market Boom
• Positive Sentiment: MS’s new “multi?engine” model (platform/product) drew praise from RBC — a validation that could help win mandate flows, improve client service and support margin expansion in wealth & institutional businesses. Morgan Stanley’s (MS) Multi-Engine Model Impresses RBC
• Positive Sentiment: Research activity remains a revenue engine: MS reaffirmed a Buy on NIO after a founder meeting — useful for trading commissions and institutional client engagement. Active, constructive research typically supports client flows. Morgan Stanley Reaffirms ‘Buy’ on NIO Stock After Founder Meeting
• Positive Sentiment: An MS entity bought shares in Amplitude Energy after MUFG ceased being a substantial holder — a sign of principal / institutional buying activity that can be revenue-supportive for the firm’s trading/investment operations. MUFG Ceases to Be Substantial Holder in Amplitude Energy as Morgan Stanley Entity Buys Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: The Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady at the upcoming meeting; Morgan Stanley economist Michael Gapen is quoted — stable policy can be mixed for banks (less immediate rate volatility but also limited upside from rate cuts). Investors will watch the macro signal for trading and lending volumes. Fed expected to keep rates unchanged as Chair Powell pivots back to economics
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund set its Q4 2025 earnings call — a routine update that will give more detail on performance of MS’s private credit exposure but is not a market-moving surprise by itself. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Sets Q4 2025 Earnings Call
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley notified West African Resources that it has ceased to be a substantial shareholder — a reduction in a stake can signal portfolio trimming or reallocation and may be viewed negatively if it reflects reduced exposure or returns in specific positions. Morgan Stanley Ceases to Be Substantial Shareholder in West African Resources

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 171,005 shares in the company, valued at $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 196,223 shares of company stock valued at $34,150,220. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.6%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $181.85 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $192.68. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $177.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $161.59. The company has a market cap of $289.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

Morgan Stanley Company 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.