Insider Selling: Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Insider Sells 11,118 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Morgan Stanley insider Eric Grossman sold 11,118 shares on April 20 at an average price of $190.75 for about $2.12 million, reducing his position by 6.16% to 169,403 shares (~$32.3M).
• Earnings & dividend: MS topped estimates with Q earnings of $3.43 per share (vs. $3.02 expected) and $20.58B in revenue (up 16% YoY), and announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend ($4.00 annual, ~2.1% yield) payable May 15.
• Market view: The stock trades near a one-year high (~$190.55) with a consensus "Hold" and average price target of $201.33, while several analysts raised targets (up to $225) and institutional ownership stands at ~84%.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) insider Eric Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

MS stock traded up $1.73 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $190.55. 4,828,375 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,398,261. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $301.33 billion, a PE ratio of 17.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.19. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $104.78 and a 1-year high of $194.59.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital raised its Morgan Stanley price target to $220 and maintained an outperform view — a high-profile upgrade that can lift sentiment and attract momentum buyers. BMO raises PT on Morgan Stanley to $220
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s MSBT spot Bitcoin ETF is getting attention after Arkham labeled its custodian wallets — greater visibility for the ETF can support inflows and recurring fee revenue from MS’s asset-management franchise. MSBT ETF wallets now trackable
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley acted as exclusive financial advisor on a sizable Kaspi.kz share purchase by Tencent and other buyers — advisory mandats like this generate fees and highlight the firm’s investment-banking pipeline. Kaspi.kz transaction
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and analysts are highlighting Morgan Stanley’s recent run (coverage noting a ~6% weekly gain) and its elevated profile after recent analyst calls — positive headlines can sustain flows but don’t change fundamentals overnight. MS up 6.29% in one week
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research continued to move other stocks (e.g., public Morgan Stanley take on Netflix and other coverage) — this underscores the strength of MS’s research franchise but is an indirect driver for the stock itself. Morgan Stanley on Netflix post-earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider sales reported for Morgan Stanley executives have drawn attention — large or clustered insider selling can create short-term investor caution even if sales are for routine compensation/liquidity reasons. MS insider sells $9.7M MS insider sells $2.8M

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. UBS Group raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $195.00 to $196.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Argus increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $201.33.

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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