Analysts Issue Forecasts for Morgan Stanley FY2027 Earnings

Key Points

• Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS forecast for Morgan Stanley to $12.80 (from $12.77), above the consensus full‑year estimate of $11.85, and the stock carries a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $204.17 price target.
• Morgan Stanley topped expectations in its most recent quarter, reporting $3.43 EPS vs. $3.02 expected and $20.58 billion in revenue vs. $19.23 billion, a 16.0% year‑over‑year revenue increase.
• The firm declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.00, yield 2.1%) while insiders sold about 77,476 shares last quarter totaling roughly $14.6 million, signaling both shareholder returns and notable insider selling activity.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) - Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2027 EPS estimates for shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the financial services provider will earn $12.80 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $12.77. Erste Group Bank has a "Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Morgan Stanley's current full-year earnings is $11.85 per share.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.60 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on MS. Citizens Jmp restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. HSBC boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $204.17.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $190.33 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $300.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.22. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $119.99 and a 1 year high of $194.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $172.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.64.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 36.23%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the transaction, the insider owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is piloting crypto trading on its E*Trade platform (initial rollout to a subset of clients) charging ~50 bps — well below major competitors. That expands retail distribution to ~8.6M E*Trade accounts and could drive trading revenue and asset‑gathering if scaled. Morgan Stanley Pilots Crypto Trading
• Positive Sentiment: Major brokers raised their fair value on MS: UBS bumped Morgan Stanley’s price target to $214 and Daiwa raised its PT to $198 — signals that sell‑side views on MS’s earnings/valuation remain constructive after its strong results earlier this year. UBS Adjusts MS Price Target Daiwa Increases MS PT
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s direct‑lending vehicle reported solid NII and declared a quarterly cash distribution — a positive for MS’s asset management and fee‑income franchises (and a sign of steady private credit demand). Direct Lending Fund NII Beats
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley published a founder survey showing entrepreneurs juggling growth, capital and liquidity tradeoffs — useful research for institutional clients but not immediately earnings‑material. MS Founder Survey
• Neutral Sentiment: MS economists trimmed the U.S. growth forecast citing higher gas prices; that softens the macro backdrop for deal activity and consumer wealth but is a broader market theme rather than a firm‑specific shock. MS Lowers US Growth Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo hired a ~$1.5B wealth team away from Morgan Stanley — a modest AUM loss that highlights ongoing competition for private client teams and could pressure near‑term wealth flows in the region. Wells Fargo Hires $1.5B Team From MS
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s low crypto fees could trigger a fee war across brokerages; while good for customer acquisition, it risks compressing trading margins if competitors follow. See coverage on pricing and competitive dynamics. MS Undercuts Rivals on Crypto Fees

About Morgan Stanley

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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