DCM Advisors LLC Buys 3,561 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

22 May 2025, 14:10 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

DCM Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 69,523 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,561 shares during the quarter. Morgan Stanley makes up 4.1% of DCM Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. DCM Advisors LLC’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $8,723,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 104.7% during the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $125.24 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $200.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $90.94 and a 1-year high of $142.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $116.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $125.40.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.02 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.95%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $132.46.

Read Our Latest Report on Morgan Stanley

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $4,800,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 335,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,291,800. This represents a 10.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total value of $95,456.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 96,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,545,403.20. This trade represents a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548 in the last ninety days. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Morgan Stanley

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