Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. Has $53.73 Million Position in Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Deroy & Devereaux trimmed its Morgan Stanley stake by 3.3% in Q4, selling 10,301 shares and now owns 302,648 shares worth about $53.73 million, making MS the firm's largest holding at roughly 2.6% of its portfolio.
• Morgan Stanley beat Q1 estimates, reporting EPS of $3.43 (vs. $3.02 est.) and revenue of $20.58B (up 16% YoY), and announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend (ex-dividend Apr 30), implying a ~2.1% yield.
• Market positioning and activity: institutional investors own ~84.2% of MS, insiders sold about 195,549 shares (~$36.3M) last quarter, and analysts remain mixed with a consensus "Hold" and average price target near $199.67 despite several recent upgrades.

Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 302,648 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 10,301 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley comprises about 2.6% of Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $53,729,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $188.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $168.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $170.76. The company has a market cap of $298.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.19. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $104.78 and a 52-week high of $194.59.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 14.65%.The business had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.60 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley's revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: revenue and EPS surprised on the upside, driven by strong trading and investment‑banking performance and continued wealth‑management flows — the core earnings beat is the primary driver of investor optimism. MS Q1 Deep Dive: Wealth and Investment Banking Deliver
• Positive Sentiment: MSBT (Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF) has drawn >$100M in its first week — a fast start that supports asset‑gathering momentum and fee diversification at the firm. Morgan Stanley Bitcoin ETF Tops $100 Million in Six Days
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street is increasing MS valuation assumptions: several firms raised price targets and upgraded outlooks after Q1 (Bank of America, Evercore, Argus, Keefe Bruyette & Woods among them), which supports further upside narratives. Morgan Stanley Price Target Raised to $225.00 at Bank of America
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend and capital return: Morgan Stanley announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend (ex‑dividend Apr 30), signaling confidence in cash generation and returning capital to shareholders (income‑supporting but not an earnings catalyst).
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing investment banking / underwriting activity (including large debt syndications) highlights the firm’s franchise utility in markets — positive for fee pipelines but cyclically sensitive to capital‑markets activity.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory / reputational overhang: Senator Elizabeth Warren requested Fed records tied to a Fed nominee’s past actions that reference Morgan Stanley; while not an immediate earnings issue, it increases political/regulatory headline risk. Elizabeth Warren Challenges Fed Chair Nominee Kevin Warsh
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts still express caution: a few firms kept conservative ratings or raised PTs while maintaining neutral/hold views (e.g., HSBC/Rothschild adjustments), which can cap near‑term upside and prompt mixed trading. HSBC Adjusts Price Target on Morgan Stanley

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Citizens Jmp restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Evercore raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $199.67.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total value of $1,547,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 119,128 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,690,826.24. This represents a 6.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,598,777.60. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 195,549 shares of company stock worth $36,260,510. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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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