Morgan Stanley $MS Stock: Strategic Planning Group LLC Decreases Position

Strategic Planning Group LLC lessened its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,581 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,987 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises 1.3% of Strategic Planning Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Strategic Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $12,711,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 55.7% in the second quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Bayban increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 72.5% in the first quarter. Bayban now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Security National Bank of SO Dak acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley, alongside Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, reportedly captured nearly 80% of the top five banks’ equity-trading revenue this year, generating a combined $52 billion. The surge was driven by heavy hedge-fund borrowing and leveraged activity tied to artificial intelligence hardware and semiconductor stocks, highlighting strong market-sensitive revenue potential for MS. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley are dominating the AI stock boom
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management received the 2026 Money Management Institute/Barron’s Wealth Management Advisory Platform of the Year award. The recognition reinforces the firm’s competitive position in advisory services and supports the longer-term growth case for its fee-based wealth-management business. Morgan Stanley Named 2026 Money Management Institute/Barron’s Wealth Management Advisory Platform of the Year
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage continues to focus on whether Morgan Stanley’s wealth-management operations can help stabilize performance. That business provides recurring fees and diversification from more cyclical investment-banking and trading results. Can Wealth Management Keep Morgan Stanley Steady?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley named Howmet Aerospace its top aerospace pick for the third quarter, replacing FTAI Aviation. The report reflects the firm’s research and advisory activity rather than a direct change to Morgan Stanley’s earnings outlook, so the effect on MS is limited. Morgan Stanley Names Top Aerospace Pick to Replace FTAI
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage questioning whether Morgan Stanley can sustain its valuation may be contributing to profit-taking after the recent run-up. At approximately 14.6 times earnings, the stock remains exposed to concerns about slowing growth or weaker capital-markets activity. Can Morgan Stanley Sustain Its Valuation?
• Negative Sentiment: Reported ETF net selling of Morgan Stanley shares on October 19 represents a near-term technical headwind, potentially adding to downside pressure even without a new fundamental deterioration. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Morgan Stanley

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on MS shares. Barclays lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 price target (down from $250.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.62.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $183.77 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $201.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $204.27. The firm has a market cap of $289.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $152.80 and a 1 year high of $232.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 15.63%. The business had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, institutions, governments and individual investors. Founded in 1935, the company is headquartered in New York City and serves clients through operations across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other international markets.

Through its Institutional Securities segment, Morgan Stanley offers investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading, research, lending and related capital-markets services.