Holocene Advisors LP Increases Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Holocene Advisors LP raised its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 11,883.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 453,461 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 449,677 shares during the quarter. Holocene Advisors LP’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $72,082,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 91.9% during 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 period. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 220.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 240 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total value of $1,547,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 119,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,690,826.24. This trade represents a 6.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total transaction of $5,569,194.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 280,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,501,921.22. This trade represents a 9.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, January 16th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.14.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS opened at $155.80 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $192.68. The stock has a market cap of $247.39 billion, a PE ratio of 15.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $175.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.43.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released 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 company had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The firm’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research is active and visible — analysts at the firm have been issuing bullish/strategic calls across large-cap names (including a Morgan Stanley analyst recommending NVDA ahead of GTC and the firm elevating Coca‑Cola as a top consumer‑staples pick). Strong, high‑profile research helps MS’s institutional and sell‑side franchise, supporting fee and advisory credibility. Nvidia Stock Is Treading Water Below Its 50-Day Moving Average as GTC 2026 Kicks Off. How to Play It Here
• Positive Sentiment: MS research continues to move markets — Morgan Stanley raised profile/price targets on names such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise and flagged Coca‑Cola as a top staples pick, reinforcing the firm’s role in shaping institutional flows. Such published calls can boost trading and institutional engagement. Morgan Stanley Elevates Coca-Cola (KO) Stock to Top Consumer Staples Position
• Neutral Sentiment: Alumni hiring highlights MS’s talent pipeline — a former Morgan Stanley executive (Christine Plummer) was appointed CFO at Streamex. This underlines MS’s role as a feeder of senior finance talent but has no direct effect on MS’s earnings. Former Morgan Stanley Executive Joins Streamex as CFO
• Negative Sentiment: Key negative: Morgan Stanley limited withdrawals from a private‑credit fund (North Haven Private Income Fund) after ~11% redemption pressure — the firm joined BlackRock in gating redemptions. That raises near‑term liquidity, reputational and regulatory risk for MS’s asset‑management/private‑credit businesses and could pressure net inflows, fee revenue and client confidence if the episode broadens. Investors should watch for follow‑on disclosures, redemption dynamics across other funds, and potential regulatory scrutiny. Exclusive: Morgan Stanley And BlackRock Limit Withdrawals—Is Private Credit Gating A Crisis Or Market ‘Stabilizer’?
• Negative Sentiment: Macro risk flagged by Morgan Stanley strategists — the firm warned Chinese equities could drop up to 10% if a planned Trump‑Xi summit is delayed. Broader market stress from geopolitical or policy shocks would weigh on MS’s trading, wealth and advisory revenues. Chinese stocks could fall by up to 10% if Trump-Xi summit is delayed, Morgan Stanley strategists say

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.