Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Raised to $179.00

by · The Markets Daily

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Free Report) had its price objective boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $173.00 to $179.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $211.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.14.

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Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $154.17 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $192.68. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $176.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $244.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.10, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The firm had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 39.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at $65,254,222.62. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 127,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,598,777.60. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1,855.6% in the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

  • Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s recent quarterly results showed an EPS and revenue beat and continued scale in wealth and investment-management businesses, supporting underlying profitability (a fundamental anchor amid the selloff).
  • Positive Sentiment: The firm is seeing strong deal flow in Asia and has hired contract staff in Hong Kong to handle a surge in listings — evidence of fee-generating activity that may help near-term revenue. Morgan Stanley hires contract staff in Hong Kong (Reuters)
  • Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley adjusted some institutional stakes (e.g., trimming its Siemens Energy voting stake) — a portfolio move that is not clearly positive or negative for near-term earnings but worth monitoring for strategic positioning. MS trims Siemens Energy stake (TipRanks)
  • Negative Sentiment: Primary near-term driver: Morgan Stanley capped redemptions at a private-credit fund after large withdrawal requests, stoking fears about private-credit liquidity and contagion across alternative-credit managers — a direct hit to investor confidence in MS’s asset-management/private-credit franchise. MS restricts redemptions at private-credit fund (Reuters)
  • Negative Sentiment: Broader sector and macro pressure: financial stocks have pulled back on repricing of rate and Fed expectations; Morgan Stanley is trading like other large banks despite no new earnings miss, reflecting macro-driven de-risking. MS slides as financials weaken (QuiverQuant)
  • Negative Sentiment: Technicals & positioning: volume is elevated vs. average (heavier trading), the stock is below its 50‑day moving average and showing sensitivity to sector outflows — this amplifies downside in a risk-off session.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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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.

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