Daiwa Securities Group Cuts Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $175.00

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group cut its price target on Morgan Stanley to $175 (from $187) while maintaining a "neutral" rating, implying roughly a 5.7% upside from the current share price.
• The sell‑side picture is mixed: the stock's consensus is an average rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $189.94 (eight Buys vs. twelve Holds).
• Morgan Stanley recently beat earnings, reporting $2.68 EPS vs. $2.28 expected and $17.90B in revenue (up 10.3% year‑over‑year), though insiders have been net sellers of shares in recent filings.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) had its price target lowered by equities research analysts at Daiwa Securities Group from $187.00 to $175.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Daiwa Securities Group's price target would suggest a potential upside of 5.71% from the stock's current price.

MS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a report on Friday, January 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $189.94.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $165.55 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $262.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.19. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $168.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $97.89 and a 1-year high of $192.68.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 171,005 shares in the company, valued at $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 103.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 12,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,019,000 after acquiring an additional 6,448 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 467,246 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $74,273,000 after acquiring an additional 9,056 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 97.4% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 22,927 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,644,000 after acquiring an additional 11,311 shares during the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 52.6% in the 3rd quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 113,504 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $18,043,000 after purchasing an additional 39,104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, A4 Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at approximately $855,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded Morgan Stanley from Neutral to Buy and set a $196 price target (~18% above the current $166 level), giving the stock a clear target-driven lift from a major bank analyst (upgrade announced this morning).
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies says Morgan Stanley should benefit from a trading boom and steady dealmaking, raising expectations for strong Q1 results—this supports investor expectations for fee and trading revenue upside. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley seen riding trading boom (Jefferies)
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its MS price target to $186 (from $172) while keeping a Neutral rating—this is incremental support for the stock’s upside case. Goldman Sachs raises MS target
• Neutral Sentiment: Roundup coverage / analyst call lists (market pre-open note) included MS among top Wall Street research calls today—visibility that can increase short-term flows but is not a direct buy/sell catalyst. Top Wall Street analyst calls (247wallst)
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research commentary (e.g., on oil markets and broader market strategy) signals active research flow and macro views from the firm—helps positioning but is not an immediate driver of MS shares. Brent oil commentary (Financial Post)
• Negative Sentiment: Evercore and BMO trimmed Morgan Stanley price targets from $215 to $190 (both still Outperform), which reduces the upside implied by some sell‑side models and can weigh on sentiment. Evercore lowers MS target BMO lowers MS target
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is launching private-credit/interval fund initiatives even as the private‑credit space faces liquidity stress and investor outflows—raising execution and fundraising risk for new non‑traded products. Coverage flagged investor flight from parts of private credit, which could pressure fee growth if fundraising is weak. MS private credit fund plans (WealthManagement)

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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