Barclays Boosts Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $183.00

Key Points

• Barclays has raised Morgan Stanley's price target to $183.00, indicating a potential upside of 13.03% from the stock's previous close.
• Other brokerages have also issued positive ratings and increased target prices for Morgan Stanley, contributing to an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus target of $160.85.
• Morgan Stanley reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations, alongside a revenue increase of 18.5% year-over-year.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by analysts at Barclays from $156.00 to $183.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Barclays's price target would indicate a potential upside of 13.03% from the stock's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on MS. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $160.85.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 4.2%

MS opened at $161.91 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $166.77. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $258.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.32.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. The firm had revenue of $18.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.06% and a return on equity of 15.20%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.88 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 877 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $139,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 3,090 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,518 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,799 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 36.1% in the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 260 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.

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