<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Sapient Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of  Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 215.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,676 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,606 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,733,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Morgan Stanley</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><ul><li>How Williams Companies Is Cashing in on the AI Power Boom</li></ul><p>Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Powers Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in  Morgan Stanley by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,443 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period.  Central Bank &amp; Trust Co. increased its holdings in  Morgan Stanley by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Central Bank &amp; Trust Co. now owns 1,767 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period.  Howard Financial Services LTD. raised its position in shares of  Morgan Stanley by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 3,579 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $635,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter.  Balboa Wealth Partners raised its position in shares of  Morgan Stanley by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,181 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its holdings in shares of  Morgan Stanley by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 3,915 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </p><h2>Morgan Stanley Price Performance</h2><p>Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $192.71 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $303.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $176.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $175.16. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $123.88 and a one year high of $197.50. </p><ul><li>Big Bank Earnings Gave Financials a Lift, But Wall Street Is Still Cautious</li></ul><p>Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The company's revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.60 earnings per share.  Research analysts predict that  Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is currently 36.23%. </p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling</h2><ul><li>Stifel Financial: A Wealth Manager’s Stock for Wealth Investors</li></ul><p>In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762 in the last 90 days. Insiders own  0.17% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Key Morgan Stanley News</h2><p>Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:</p><ul>   <li><span>Positive Sentiment: </span>Morgan Stanley’s own analysis of broader markets remains constructive, with strategists saying equities still have upside support from AI-driven growth and employment trends, even as they flag recession and bond-market risks. That keeps the firm visible in the ongoing AI-led market narrative. <i></i><span>Morgan Stanley Remains Bullish on Equities While Flagging Recession Risks Ahead</span></li>   <li><span>Positive Sentiment: </span>The bank also helped fuel bullish sentiment in semiconductors by raising its revenue estimate for Nvidia ahead of earnings and highlighting continued upside potential, reinforcing Morgan Stanley’s influence in high-profile growth themes that investors are still rewarding. <i></i><span>Morgan Stanley Lifts Nvidia Stock (NVDA) Price Target Ahead of Q1 Earnings, Sees ‘Continued Upside to Numbers’</span></li>   <li><span>Neutral Sentiment: </span>Recent market headlines show Morgan Stanley-linked commentary spanning everything from AI infrastructure to energy and utilities, suggesting the bank is well positioned around major investor themes, though none of these articles directly change MS fundamentals today.</li>   <li><span>Negative Sentiment: </span>At the same time, the firm warned that a bond selloff could trigger a meaningful stock-market correction. That caution may temper enthusiasm and explains why any move higher in <strong>Morgan Stanley (MS)</strong> is modest rather than explosive. <i></i><span>Morgan Stanley’s Wilson Warns Stock Rally at Risk From Bond Rout</span></li> </ul><h2>Wall Street Analyst Weigh In</h2><p>Several analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Bank of America raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an &#34;outperform&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, HSBC boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. One research analyst  has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley  has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average price target of $206.26.</p><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Report on Morgan Stanley</b></p><h2>Morgan Stanley Company Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>Morgan Stanley <span>NYSE: MS<span></span></span> 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.  </p><p>The firm's primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.</p><h2>Featured Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Morgan Stanley</li><li>Why Applied Optoelectronics Stock May Be Near a Turning Point</li><li>From High-Yield to High-Growth: 3 Stocks Boosting Dividends</li><li>Is Everspin Technologies the Next AI Edge Breakout?</li><li>5 Robotics Stocks to Watch as Physical AI Builds Momentum</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MS?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1T?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1T"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Morgan Stanley Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Morgan Stanley, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Morgan Stanley wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Morgan Stanley currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

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<p>Sapient Capital LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 215.2% in Q4, owning 9,676 shares valued at $1.73 million. Other investors also raised their holdings. Morgan Stanley reported $3.43 EPS, exceeding estimates, with a revenue of $20.58 billion. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, yielding 2.1%. Insider sales were noted, with significant shares sold by executives.</p>

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Morgan Stanley Pathway Large Cap Eq ETF

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Stifel Financial

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS EA REP 1/1000 SHS NON CUM PFD O

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS REPSTG 1/1000TH PFD SER Q

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS REPS 1/1000 7.125% PFD E

MORGAN STANLEY NON-CUM DEP SH REP 1/1000 PFD SER I

MORGAN STANLEY 4.875 DEP SHS REP 1/1000 NCUM PFD SR L

MORGAN STANLEY 6.5%DEP SHS REPSTG 1/1000 NON CUM SER P

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS REPS 1/1000 PFD SER 'A'

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS REPR 1/1000TH INT PFD SER 'F' FX

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS REP 1/1000 NON-CUM PFD STK SER K

STIFEL FINANCIAL CORP 6.125% DEP SHS REP 1/1000 NON CU PF SR C

Stifel Financial Pref Share SFB 5.2 10/15/47

STIFEL FINANCIAL CORP 6.25%NON CUM DEP SHS REP 1/1000TH SER B

STIFEL FINANCIAL CORP 4.50% DEP SHS REP 1/1000TH PREF SHS SR D

Sapient Capital LLC Has $1.73 Million Stock Holdings in Morgan Stanley $MS