5 Financial Stocks to Buy According to Ken Griffin’s Citadel Investment Group

4. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Citadel Investment Group’s Stake Value: $249,979,000

Percentage of Citadel Investment Group’s 13F Portfolio: 0.05%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 65

Ken Griffin owns 2.56 million shares in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), an American multinational investment bank and financial services company, worth approximately $250 million, representing 0.05% of the billionaire’s Q3 portfolio. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) is one of the best financial stocks to buy as per Ken Griffin’s Citadel Investment Group. 

On October 14, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reported earnings for the third quarter, posting an EPS of $2.04, beating estimates by $0.36. Revenue over the period jumped 26.56% year-over-year to $14.75 billion, outperforming estimates by $799.47 million. 

Citi analyst Keith Horowitz on December 3 upgraded Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $115, up from $105. The analyst stated that the stock offers “high quality at a reasonable price”, with multiple growth catalysts. 

The largest Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) stakeholder from the third quarter is Eagle Capital Management, with a $1.46 billion position in the company. Overall, the Q3 database of Insider Monkey reported that 65 hedge funds were bullish on the stock, down from 69 funds in the previous quarter. 

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.”