Insider Selling: Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) CFO Sells 15,838 Shares of Stock

by · The Cerbat Gem

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total value of $2,942,225.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 135,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,135,424.08. This represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS stock traded down $0.32 during trading on Thursday, hitting $183.00. 8,960,618 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,037,536. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $192.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $176.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $160.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $290.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 14.09%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.18%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,861 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,928,000 after acquiring an additional 771 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 83,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255 shares during the last quarter. Spirepoint Private Client LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Spirepoint Private Client LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,142 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,445,000 after buying an additional 884 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Curran Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth about $202,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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 four lead banks on a potential blockbuster SpaceX IPO — a high‑profile mandate that would generate sizable underwriting and advisory fees and reinforce MS’s standing in tech/A&D deal origination. Article Title
  • Positive Sentiment: Recent Q4 results (announced Jan. 15) beat estimates on both EPS and revenue, with revenue up ~10% year‑over‑year — supporting consensus that MS can grow fee income and maintain healthy margins into 2026. Earnings / Market Data
  • Positive Sentiment: Coverage and deal involvement: Morgan Stanley is publicly tied to underwriting and coverage wins (e.g., backing smaller biotech deals and SMID‑cap biotech coverage), which points to ongoing investment‑banking and capital‑markets activity that supports revenue visibility. Article Title
  • Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research is raising macro themes (e.g., U.S. policy and potential de‑dollarisation) that may shape markets and cross‑border flows but don’t directly change MS’s near‑term fundamentals. Investors should monitor how macro shifts affect capital markets activity. Article Title
  • Neutral Sentiment: Institutional moves: filings show Morgan Stanley trimming or changing stakes in select smaller names (e.g., ceasing to be a substantial holder in a mining issuer). These are routine portfolio actions for the firm’s asset‑management/institutional desks and have limited direct impact on MS stock. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $185.93.

View Our Latest Analysis on MS

About Morgan Stanley

(Get Free Report)

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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