BMO Capital Markets Boosts Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $220.00

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets raised its price target on Morgan Stanley to $220 (from $190) and kept an outperform rating, implying roughly a 15.2% upsideHold with an average target of $201.33.
• Strong quarterly results: MS reported $3.43 EPS vs. $3.02 expected and revenue of $20.58B vs. $19.23B, with revenue up 16% year‑over‑year and solid margins and ROE.
• Insider selling has been notable (about 195,549 shares worth ~$36.3M in the past 90 days) even as large institutional investors (e.g., Vanguard, Norges Bank, T. Rowe) increased positions; insiders now own ~0.17% of the stock.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by BMO Capital Markets from $190.00 to $220.00 in a research note issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an "outperform" rating on the financial services provider's stock. BMO Capital Markets' price target would suggest a potential upside of 15.22% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on MS. Zacks Research downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Citizens Jmp reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday. Argus upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $201.33.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:MS opened at $190.94 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $301.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $170.85. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $104.78 and a 12 month high of $194.59.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,464,920. The trade was a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 195,549 shares of company stock valued at $36,260,510. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $2,736,648,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 29.1% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 14,917,776 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,648,354,000 after purchasing an additional 3,364,080 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 142.4% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,122,060 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $511,723,000 after buying an additional 1,833,844 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,718,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $21,253,554,000 after acquiring an additional 1,361,940 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2,332.9% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,406,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $249,710,000 after acquiring an additional 1,348,683 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised Morgan Stanley price targets (multiple actions reported), signaling improved street conviction in the firm’s outlook; that tends to support the stock. Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS Price Target Raised to $183.00 Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS Price Target Raised to $177.00
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s spot-Bitcoin ETF custody wallets have been labeled and are now trackable on-chain (Arkham report). Greater transparency can support inflows and AUM growth for MS’s ETF business. Morgan Stanley’s MSBT Bitcoin ETF Wallets Now Publicly Trackable via Arkham
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley acted as exclusive advisor on a notable Kaspi.kz share transaction — a fee-generating advisory role that supports the firm’s investment banking pipeline and reputation. Kaspi.kz Announces Major Share Purchase by Tencent and Key Stakeholders
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research prefers memory-chip names (Micron, Sandisk) over Intel/AMD for AI exposure — a market-moving thematic call from MS research but not a direct driver of MS shares. Morgan Stanley: Memory Makers Micron and Sandisk Trump Intel (INTC) and AMD for AI Exposure
• Neutral Sentiment: MS research and coverage moves on large tech names (Amazon price‑target commentary after the Globalstar deal, Netflix/Tesla calls) keep the firm in headlines and drive trading flows, but affect Morgan Stanley’s stock only indirectly via franchise perception. Amazon (AMZN) Gets $300 Price Target From Morgan Stanley Following $11.6B Globalstar Acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: TipRanks and other outlets highlight Morgan Stanley’s published “top picks” and new coverage initiations (e.g., Verizon), illustrating active research but with limited immediate impact on MS equity. Morgan Stanley Taps 2 Stocks as Its Top Picks for 2026 Verizon Communications (VZ) Initiated with ‘Equal Weight’ at Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: recent filings show Morgan Stanley insiders sold roughly $9.7M and $2.8M in MS stock — large reported sales can dent near‑term sentiment even if they’re routine. Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS Insider Sells $9,744,068.12 in Stock Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS Insider Sells $2,779,935.60 in Stock

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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