Maple Capital Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS

Maple Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 225,129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,032 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley comprises about 2.3% of Maple Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Maple Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $35,786,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MS. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total value 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. The trade was a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,464,920. The trade was a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506 in the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management announced it surpassed $1 trillion in IRA assets under management — a credibility and fee-growth milestone for the advisory business that supports recurring revenue and investor confidence. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Surpasses $1 Trillion in Individual Retirement Account Assets Under Management
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s infrastructure arm agreed to sell its stake in the Bayonne Energy Center — a realization event for its private infrastructure platform that can improve reported results for MSIM and validate deal execution. Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners Agrees to Sell Bayonne Energy Center
• Positive Sentiment: Industry reports are highlighting Morgan Stanley among attractive investment‑bank names as trading, underwriting and advisory momentum improve — supportive for valuation multiples across the group. 3 Investment Bank Stocks to Buy From a Flourishing Industry
• Neutral Sentiment: The firm’s own macro views (e.g., sticking with a June rate‑cut call) help frame expectations for net interest income and market activity — this is a mixed but market-moving stance that traders will digest alongside Fed expectations. Morgan Stanley Sticks With June Rate Cut Call as Oil Surges
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley strategists (notably Mike Wilson) have warned the market may not have bottomed — that bearish research can pressure cyclical financial names if investors rotate to defensives. Stocks haven’t hit bottom yet, says the analyst who called a ‘rolling recession’ when everyone else saw a boom
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research flagged broader risks in private credit from AI-driven disruption — commentary that could raise concerns about MS’s exposure through credit and alternative‑asset businesses. Investors will watch for how the firm hedges or discloses that exposure. Morgan Stanley says AI disruption of software will send private credit defaults surging

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $157.89 on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $192.68. The firm has a market cap of $250.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s 50-day moving average is $174.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on MS. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a report on Friday, January 16th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Evercore lowered Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.14.

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.