Phoenix Financial Ltd. Boosts Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Phoenix Financial Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 83.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,577 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,369 shares during the quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $3,271,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:MS opened at $182.71 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $290.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50 day moving average is $177.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $161.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $192.68.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 14.09%.The business had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given 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 is Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total value of $2,942,225.26. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 135,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,135,424.08. This trade represents a 10.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 127,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 196,223 shares of company stock worth $34,150,220. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Appointment of a digital‑asset lead signals a faster push into crypto products (ETFs and a wallet) that can expand fee income and keep MS competitive as institutional crypto demand resumes. Morgan Stanley appoints new head of digital asset strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Closed acquisition of EquityZen strengthens MS Wealth’s private‑shares capability — potential for cross‑selling, higher client retention and more fee‑based revenue from private markets. Morgan Stanley Closes Acquisition of EquityZen
• Positive Sentiment: Third‑party recognition of MS research/modeling (RBC/MS coverage mention) supports the firm’s reputation — helpful for investment banking and institutional client traction. That reputational momentum can lift trading and advisory flow. Morgan Stanley’s (MS) Multi-Engine Model Impresses RBC
• Neutral Sentiment: Jed Finn (Head of Wealth Management) speaking at the UBS Financial Services Conference increases visibility but is a routine investor relations event with limited immediate material impact. Jed Finn to Speak at the UBS Financial Services Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Direct Lending announced a Q4 call — keeps investors informed on the firm’s credit/alternative lending business but not a near‑term catalyst. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Sets Q4 2025 Earnings Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/portfolio note — Morgan Stanley ceasing to be a substantial holder in a small natural‑resources name is a routine portfolio change with negligible impact on MS fundamentals. Morgan Stanley Ceases to Be Substantial Shareholder in West African Resources

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on MS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. HSBC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Three 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $185.93.

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.