Comerica Bank Has $50 Million Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Comerica Bank trimmed its stake in Morgan Stanley by 6.2% in the fourth quarter to 281,661 shares, leaving a position worth about $50.0 million.
• Morgan Stanley reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results with $3.43 EPS (vs. $3.02 est.) and $20.58 billion in revenue, and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share (annualized $4.00, ~2.1% yield).
• Insiders have sold a total of 110,444 shares (roughly $20.7 million) over the past three months, leaving corporate insiders with just 0.17% ownership, while institutional investors hold about 84.19% of the stock.

Comerica Bank lowered its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 281,661 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 18,763 shares during the period. Comerica Bank's holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $50,003,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Powers Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,443 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,767 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 3,579 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $635,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,181 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $565,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 3,915 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: MSIM launched a Stablecoin Reserves Portfolio (MSNXX) aimed at stablecoin issuers — a new money‑market/reserve solution that positions Morgan Stanley as a provider of regulatory‑aligned cash reserves for the growing payment‑stablecoin market. This is strategically important because it can win fee income, strengthen MS’s digital‑assets franchise and deepen client relationships in crypto. MS stablecoin reserves fund
• Positive Sentiment: Third‑party analyst activity is supportive: BNP Paribas Exane raised its price target on MS to $205 (from $195), citing upside vs. the share price — a clear vote of confidence that can help investor sentiment. BNP Paribas raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and research note coverage (Zacks, other outlets) continue to highlight MS as a solid momentum/dividend and growth play — reinforcing buy‑side interest in the wealth‑management and capital‑markets franchises that drive recurring revenue. Zacks momentum coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley expanded market infrastructure ties (e.g., added as an NZX clearing participant) and continues to show institutional product rollout — incremental business development but not immediately earnings‑material. NZX clearing participant
• Neutral Sentiment: MS has been cited across media coverage for analyst model updates and sector research (examples: packaged‑foods coverage updates, biopharma model tweaks). These signals illustrate active franchise research but don’t directly move MS’s revenues. MS analyst activity examples
• Negative Sentiment: Intraday weakness likely reflects profit‑taking/positioning and options‑oriented selling: Schaeffer and other options commentators recently highlighted bearish trades tied to MS, which can amplify short‑term downward pressure. Lower-than‑average volume today (per background data) also suggests a thinner market exacerbating small sell flows. Schaeffer options note

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MS. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $201.89.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This trade represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 110,444 shares of company stock valued at $20,665,049 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS opened at $188.13 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $170.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $172.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $112.03 and a 52 week high of $194.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $297.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.60 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.23%.

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.

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