NEOS Investment Management LLC Buys 50,181 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 48.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 153,143 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 50,181 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $24,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MS. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter worth approximately $220,000. Holistic Financial Partners boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 4.1% in the third quarter. Holistic Financial Partners now owns 1,779 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during the third quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 15,846 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,519,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 3,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $496,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 7,750 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,232,000 after purchasing an additional 699 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 2.0%

NYSE:MS opened at $171.40 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $272.40 billion, a PE ratio of 16.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $192.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $180.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.47. 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 (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 14.09%.The company’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 39.18%.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s “HALO” trade thesis argues hard-assets and non-digital sectors should see sustained inflows this year — a view that supports trading and asset-management fee opportunities for the firm. Why the ‘HALO’ trade boosting hard assets is no fluke, according to Morgan Stanley
• Positive Sentiment: MS research flags a roughly $45B “hidden” cybersecurity investment opportunity — a large thematic runway that can drive underwriting, M&A advisory and asset-management mandates. Morgan Stanley flags $45B hidden cybersecurity opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Firm commentary that it is leaning into AI and tech IPOs signals a potentially strong deal pipeline (underwriting and advisory fees) even as valuations remain watchable — a constructive mix for investment-banking revenue. Morgan Stanley Leans On AI And Tech IPOs As Valuation Stays Watchable
• Positive Sentiment: Hiring blockchain engineers to integrate Ethereum, Polygon, Canton and Hyperledger shows MS investing in infrastructure to expand institutional crypto custody, trading and client services — potential new revenue streams. Morgan Stanley Hiring Blockchain Engineers to Integrate Ethereum, Polygon, Canton, and Hyperledger
• Neutral Sentiment: MS analyst activity (e.g., lowering a price target on Twilio) reflects normal research rotation and company-level calls that are unlikely to materially affect Morgan Stanley’s own stock. Morgan Stanley Reduces PT on Twilio Inc. (TWLO) Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: MS research warnings — such as execution risk on the Santander–Webster deal or notes on AI disruption in Europe — reflect broader market analysis and reinforce MS’s role as a sell-side advisor but don’t directly change MS’s fundamentals. Santander (SAN) and Webster Deal Faces Execution Risk, Says Morgan Stanley

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $6,020,286.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,254,222.62. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total transaction of $1,547,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 119,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,690,826.24. This trade represents a 6.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $211.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. HSBC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $185.93.

About Morgan Stanley

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.