Rep. Steve Cohen Sells Off Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Representative Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) recently sold shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS). In a filing disclosed on January 14th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $50,001 and $100,000 in Morgan Stanley stock on December 17th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “STEPHENS ADVANTAGE ACCOUNT” account.

Representative Steve Cohen also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 12/17/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Cohen & Steers Total Return Realty Fund (NYSE:RFI) on 12/17/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZKAP) on 12/17/2025.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:MS traded up $0.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $192.07. 2,324,862 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,693,588. The company has a market cap of $305.26 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $192.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $174.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $159.32.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The business’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — MS reported EPS above consensus ($2.68) and cited broad strength across wealth management and capital markets, which traders viewed as confirmation of earnings momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Big boost from investment banking — Investment-banking fees jumped sharply (reported +47% in some summaries), driven by M&A and equity markets, a primary driver of the quarter’s profit beat. That dealmaking windfall is the main reason investors are lifting bank shares. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Firms have been raising targets and keeping overweight/outperform views after results; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its MS price target to $210, adding upward pressure. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — MS announced a quarterly dividend ($1.00 per share), which increases income appeal for investors and supports total-return buyers ahead of the ex-dividend date. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad bank/market tailwind — Financial ETFs and large-cap bank stocks advanced on stronger industry results and a favorable market backdrop, helping MS alongside peers rather than as a company-specific move. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Transcripts & messaging — The earnings call transcript and slide deck are now public; management highlighted a larger IPO/IPO pipeline for 2026 and multi-year investments in wealth that support growth, useful for monitoring forward guidance. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Cash-flow & some mixed metrics — Third?party summaries flagged that operating cash flow swung deeply negative in the quarter and one data set showed revenue slightly below a particular consensus figure, which investors should monitor for sustainability of earnings quality. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Public filings show notable insider sales in recent months; while not uncommon at large banks, continued selling can temper some enthusiasm. Read More.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% in the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday. Three 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 MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.23.

About Representative Cohen

Steve Cohen (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2007. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Cohen (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Cohen earned a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt and a J.D. from the University of Memphis School of Law. Prior to his election to the U.S. House, Cohen was a member of the Tennessee State Senate. As a child, Cohen contracted polio. Cohen filed to run for his first elected office the same day that he first registered to vote.

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.