Sharon Yeshaya Sells 15,838 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of Morgan Stanley 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 135,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,135,424.08. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE:MS traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $183.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,960,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,037,536. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $192.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $290.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $176.28 and a 200-day moving average of $160.64.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 14.09%.The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MS shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. HSBC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.93.

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

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.