Rep. Julie Johnson Sells Off Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently sold shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS). In a filing disclosed on September 11th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Morgan Stanley stock on August 14th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “CHASE BROKERAGE ACCOUNT (3935)” account.

Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Parker-Hannifin (NYSE:PH) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Fidelity National Information Services (NYSE:FIS) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Home Depot (NYSE:HD) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Dover (NYSE:DOV) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) on 8/14/2025.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $159.28 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $146.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $254.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $160.14.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The business had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were given a $1.00 dividend. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 45.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Brighton Jones LLC grew 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 worth $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 29,315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,685,000 after buying an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Northwest Quadrant Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 146.4% during the 4th quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 19,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,395,000 after acquiring an additional 11,318 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 119,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. The trade was a 14.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total transaction of $4,092,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 399,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,325,688.65. The trade was a 6.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MS. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $130.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $139.92.

About Representative Johnson

Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

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.