Morgan Stanley $MS Shares Bought by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 27.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 51,962 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,273 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $9,773,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MS. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth approximately $78,825,883,310. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,040,227,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 142.4% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,122,060 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $511,723,000 after acquiring an additional 1,833,844 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $295,482,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth approximately $110,938,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $186.61 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $206.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $203.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $151.88 and a 1-year high of $232.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $294.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.09, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The business had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 12.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley plans to support tokenized equities on its alternative trading system, potentially strengthening its position in digital-asset infrastructure and creating a longer-term growth opportunity. Morgan Stanley Plans Tokenized Equities Support
• Positive Sentiment: The upcoming earnings report is a major near-term catalyst. Morgan Stanley previously delivered strong results, with the latest reported quarter showing $3.46 in earnings per share and $21.35 billion in revenue, both ahead of expectations. Morgan Stanley Reports Earnings Tomorrow
• Neutral Sentiment: Options markets are targeting roughly $205 for MS around the earnings event, indicating that traders expect elevated volatility and a potentially significant post-results move. Morgan Stanley Stock Selloff Cools Ahead of Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators are focused on wealth-management results, asset flows, trading activity and the effect of higher interest rates on funding costs and dealmaking. The broader financial sector is entering earnings season with investor expectations tempered. What to Watch When Morgan Stanley Reports
• Negative Sentiment: Enthusiasm surrounding mergers, acquisitions and IPO activity has cooled after the stock reached approximately $230 in July, contributing to the recent pullback and investor caution ahead of earnings. Morgan Stanley Stock Selloff Cools Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank modestly reduced its 2026 earnings-per-share estimate to $12.79 from $12.83 and maintained a Hold rating. While the revision is small, it reinforces concerns that earnings momentum may be less robust than previously expected. Morgan Stanley Earnings Estimate Revision

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $210.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $243.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, July 20th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $219.43.

Morgan Stanley Profile

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm serving corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and other investors. The company provides investment banking and advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, equity and debt underwriting, securities sales and trading, and corporate lending.

Through its Wealth Management business, Morgan Stanley offers financial planning, brokerage, investment advisory and banking services to individual investors, businesses and institutions.