Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Grows Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 54.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 763,588 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 269,972 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises 0.5% of Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $121,380,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 91.9% in the 3rd quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $184.70 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $293.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The company’s 50 day moving average is $172.53 and its 200-day moving average is $157.65. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $188.82.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were issued 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 presently 41.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on MS. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley filed spot crypto ETF registrations (Bitcoin, Solana and a spot Ethereum trust that may include staking), expanding its wealth-product suite and distribution reach — a potential long-term revenue and brand win for its wealth-management channels. Morgan Stanley Files Third Crypto ETF In 48 Hours
• Positive Sentiment: The bank said it will launch a digital wallet in H2 2026 to support tokenized assets, signaling product expansion into custody/staking and providing another potential distribution channel for crypto services. Morgan Stanley Announces Digital Wallet Launch
• Positive Sentiment: Internal dealmaking activity appears to be picking up — Morgan Stanley promoted ~184 employees to managing director after a revival in M&A and capital-markets activity, supporting higher IB fees if deal flow continues. Managing Director Promotions After Dealmaking Revival
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment: Zacks upgraded MS to a Strong Buy and also added MS to a dividend/income list — these endorsements can attract flows from model/quant and income-focused investors. MS Upgraded to Strong Buy by Zacks
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s CIO Mike Wilson reiterated confidence in earnings growth and called out consumer stocks as a key opportunity — supportive macro/sentiment commentary from senior research can lift investor conviction. Mike Wilson Sees ‘Crystal Clear’ Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Near-term event risk: Morgan Stanley reports earnings next week and Wall Street expects earnings growth — the report will be a catalyst that could reinforce or reverse today’s move depending on results and guidance. MS Reports Next Week—Street Expects Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation/analyst caution: some firms (including a recent JPMorgan note) have kept neutral ratings or signaled limited upside vs. current price — that can cap gains if investors shift to profit-taking or rotate into larger perceived winners.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and competitive risks in crypto: launching ETFs and staking features attracts SEC and compliance scrutiny and puts Morgan Stanley in a crowded ETF field — any regulatory pushback or slow asset flows would be a near-term drag on the trade.

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.