Rep. Jefferson Shreve Sells Off Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Representative Jefferson Shreve (R-Indiana) recently sold shares of Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS. In a filing disclosed on May 08th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $15,001 and $50,000 in Morgan Stanley stock on April 7th.

Representative Jefferson Shreve also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill NYSE: CMG on 4/17/2025.
• Purchased $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Applied Materials NASDAQ: AMAT on 4/17/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Caterpillar NYSE: CAT on 4/17/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Lululemon Athletica NASDAQ: LULU on 4/17/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Western Digital NASDAQ: WDC on 4/17/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Zoetis NYSE: ZTS on 4/17/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Stryker NYSE: SYK on 4/17/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of NextEra Energy NYSE: NEE on 4/17/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of CSX NASDAQ: CSX on 4/17/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Ross Stores NASDAQ: ROST on 4/17/2025.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 2.0%

Morgan Stanley stock traded up $2.54 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $129.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,900,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,678,074. The firm has a market capitalization of $207.92 billion, a PE ratio of 16.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $90.94 and a 1 year high of $142.03. The stock's fifty day moving average is $114.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.91.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.02 EPS. The business's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $132.46.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peoples Bank KS bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

About Representative Shreve

Jefferson Shreve (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Indiana's 6th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Shreve (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 6th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election. Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography. Jefferson Shreve earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana University in 1989, a graduate degree from the University of London in 1998, and a graduate degree from Purdue University in 2003. Shreve's career experience includes working as a real estate executive. Shreve was elected 7th District Vice Chairman of the Indiana Republican State Committee on January 17, 2018, and was re-elected on March 6, 2021. In 2020, he was selected as a district-level delegate to the 2020 Republican National Convention.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments.