5 Finance Stocks to Buy According to Billionaire Ray Dalio

4. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Bridgewater Associates’ Stake Value: $73,072,000

Percentage of Bridgewater Associates’ 13F Portfolio: 0.40%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 65

Ray Dalio purchased additional stakes in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in the third quarter, which elevated the billionaire’s position in the company by 27%. Dalio, via Bridgewater Associates, owns 750,922 Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) shares, worth $73 million, representing 0.40% of the firm’s total Q3 securities. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) is a multinational investment bank and financial services organization from New York. 

In the Q3 earnings report of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), published on October 14, the company posted an EPS of $2.04, exceeding estimates by $0.36. The revenue jumped 26.56% year-over-year, reaching $14.75 billion, surpassing estimates by $799.47 million. 

On December 3, Citi analyst Keith Horowitz upgraded Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $115, up from $105. The analyst stated that he expects further multiple expansion for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) as the company delivers on its wealth management opportunity “and is awarded a growth multiple”, and the stock offers “high quality at a reasonable price.”

One of the leading Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) stakeholders as of September 2021 is Fisher Asset Management, with a $970.5 million position in the company. Overall, 65 hedge funds in the third quarter database of Insider Monkey were long Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS). 

Here is what Artisan Value Fund has to say about Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in its Q3 2021 investor letter:

“Morgan Stanley, a leading global financial services company, came into the portfolio in late 2020 as a result of its purchase of E*TRADE. The acquisition is a great fit for Morgan Stanley’s wealth management platform and provides a considerable amount of non-interest-bearing deposit funding. James Gorman, chairman and CEO, has steadily de-risked the business by adding less volatile fee streams to complement its leading positions in cyclical businesses such as advisory, equities and FICC (fixed income, currencies and commodities). We believe the company will prove its resiliency and value over the long term.”