Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Trims Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Posted by Don Miller on Jan 12th, 2026

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,789,651 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 49,861 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.17% of Morgan Stanley worth $443,443,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 97.4% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 22,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,644,000 after acquiring an additional 11,311 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.8% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 581,325 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $92,407,000 after purchasing an additional 21,458 shares during the period. Calamos Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 87,236 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,867,000 after purchasing an additional 9,345 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 45.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 30,854 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,905,000 after buying an additional 9,619 shares during the period. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 6,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $881,000 after buying an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $186.41 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $172.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $158.32. The stock has a market cap of $296.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $188.82.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. The company had revenue of $17.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 13.85%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.88 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.03%.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was hired as an advisor on a potential Hong Kong IPO for Xpeng’s Aeroht flying‑car unit — a mandate that could generate investment‑banking fees and demonstrates continued deal flow from China EV groups. Tesla Rival Xpeng Hires Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan To Prepare Hong Kong Listing For Aeroht: Report
Neutral Sentiment: Markets are entering a busy earnings week for banks and financials (Bank of America, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs among those highlighted). That raises the chance of near‑term volatility in MS shares as investors reprice the stock on the bank‑sector print and guidance. Option Volatility And Earnings Report For January 12 – 16
Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley analysts remain active — recent notes cited in the tape include coverage changes and price‑target moves across tech and consumer names (e.g., Arista, Alibaba, Doximity, Andersen). Analyst activity supports MS’s research/revenue profile but typically has only incremental impact on MS stock versus deal and trading volumes. Morgan Stanley and Jefferies Cut Price Targets on Alibaba (BABA)
Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary from Morgan Stanley strategists (on topics like earnings growth and sector rotation) continues to shape investor positioning into 2026; these macro views can support higher trading volumes and client flows but are not a direct one‑off catalyst. Morgan Stanley’s Mike Wilson Sees ‘Crystal Clear’ Earnings Growth, Says ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Will Fuel Consumer Stocks Rally

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. This trade represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.85.

Get Our Latest Research Report on MS

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.