Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Purchased by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,814,373 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,002 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 0.7% of KBC Group NV’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.11% of Morgan Stanley worth $298,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Dbs Bank lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.80.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE MS opened at $215.27 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $211.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $188.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The firm has a market cap of $339.54 billion, a PE ratio of 17.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $136.17 and a 52 week high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.51%. The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.34%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reported blockbuster Q2 2026 results, with record net revenues of about $21.3 billion and earnings that beat expectations, reinforcing confidence in the company’s core businesses. Morgan Stanley (MS) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenues and Strategic Growth …
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share, a 15% increase from the prior quarter, which signals confidence in earnings power and capital return capacity.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the earnings release, with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raising its price target to $250 and Erste Group lifting FY2027 EPS estimates, suggesting more upside may remain. Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $225.00 to $250.00
• Neutral Sentiment: New reports also pointed to Morgan Stanley’s E*TRADE crypto rollout and AI-related market activity, which could help broaden its platform appeal over time but are not likely the main short-term drivers of the stock move.
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles noted a downgrade-style view from Seeking Alpha and a JPMorgan target below the current share price, which may temper enthusiasm at the margin even after the strong earnings beat. Morgan Stanley Maintains Hold on Comstock Resources, Keeps Price Target Unchanged at $16 Amid Cash Outspend and Funding Concerns

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.