Insider Selling: Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Insider Sells $3,966,120.00 in Stock

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) insider Eric Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total transaction of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,464,920. The trade was a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $179.02 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $192.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $284.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $176.93 and its 200-day moving average is $161.18.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 14.09%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 39.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a report on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $185.93.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Bingham Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Sunpointe LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 2,108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 40.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 29,744 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,281,000 after purchasing an additional 8,512 shares during the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $221,000. Finally, LOM Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. LOM Asset Management Ltd now owns 16,162 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,869,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley was named one of the lead banks on the highly visible SpaceX IPO, which should generate sizable investment‑banking fees and boost confidence in MS’s deal pipeline. Elon Musk’s SpaceX lines up 4 banks for blockbuster IPO
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 fundamentals remain supportive — MS recently beat on EPS and revenue, announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend (ex‑div Jan 30), and has strong ROE metrics cited by analysts; those fundamentals underpin longer‑term investor support. Morgan Stanley stock page / Q4 results & dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management staff publicly urged clients not to panic‑sell, messaging designed to stabilize flows and sentiment among retail/wealth clients. That communication can help limit outflows and calm short‑term volatility. ‘Don’t Get Off the Rodeo Bull’: Morgan Stanley Warns Investors Not to Panic Sell
• Neutral Sentiment: Research action from MS — the firm cut Oracle’s target ~30% citing AI infra concerns. This is a research call on a large tech name (shows MS positioning/opinion) but is not a direct company fundamental change for MS itself. Oracle target cut by Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple senior Morgan Stanley insiders filed Form 4s this week (large sales by executives including Michael Pizzi, Andrew Saperstein, Eric Grossman, Sharon Yeshaya and others). Concentrated insider selling can add short‑term supply and raise investor caution. Insider sale SEC filing (example)

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.