Insider Selling: Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Insider Sells 32,968 Shares of Stock

January 31, 2026 by InsiderTrades.com

Key Points

Insider sale: Morgan Stanley insider Daniel Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares on Jan. 30 at an average price of $182.61, raising about $6.02M and reducing his holding by 8.45% to 357,342 shares (≈$65.25M).
Quarterly results beat: MS reported $2.68 EPS vs. $2.28 expected and $17.90B in revenue (up 10.3% YoY), supporting analyst sentiment of a "Moderate Buy" and an average target near $185.93.
Dividend and valuation: the company declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.00, ~2.2% yield, 39.18% payout ratio); the stock has a market cap of about $290.5B and a P/E around 17.9.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) insider Daniel Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.2%

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Morgan Stanley stock opened at $182.81 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $192.68. The company has a market cap of $290.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $179.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $162.43.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The firm's revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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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 paid a $1.00 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is 39.18%.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. XML Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at $210,000. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 5.7% in the second quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp now owns 2,129 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $300,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.9% during the second quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 14,301 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,014,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the period. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 7.4% during the second quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 5,699 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $803,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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Several research firms have issued reports on MS. Dbs Bank raised Morgan Stanley to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $211.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $185.93.

Get Our Latest Research Report on MS

More Morgan Stanley News

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

Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights Morgan Stanley’s wealth & asset-management business as a durable, recurring-revenue engine that now accounts for the majority of firm revenues — a structural strength that supports more predictable fee income and helps justify a higher multiple for MS. MS Wealth & Asset Management Moat
Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat/AmericanBankingNews notes the brokerage consensus on MS is “Moderate Buy,” reflecting broad analyst support after the company’s January quarter results and forward outlook — analyst backing tends to support upward price moves. Consensus Recommendation: Moderate Buy
Neutral Sentiment: President Trump’s reported selection of former Fed governor Kevin Warsh as the nominee for Fed chair (Warsh has Morgan Stanley banking ties) is being discussed in the market; any perceived “connection” is indirect and more reputational than financial for MS, so impact is uncertain/likely muted. Warsh Named as Fed Chair
Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes and commentary by Morgan Stanley strategists (e.g., observations on bond-market dislocations and sector calls) underline the firm’s active research and trading flow — positive for fee and trading revenue over time but not an immediate catalyst. Morgan Stanley Exec on Bond Market
Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: MS insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares at about $182.61 (~$6.0M). The trade reduces his stake materially (reported ~8.45% of his holdings) — sizable insider sales can create short-term selling pressure or signal personal liquidity needs, though one sale alone is not definitive about firm fundamentals. Insider Sale Filing

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

(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.