Jefferies Financial Group Issues Positive Forecast for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group raised its price target for Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $186.00, maintaining a "buy" rating, indicating a potential upside of 14.88%.
• Other analysts also upgraded their ratings for Morgan Stanley, with Barclays and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods setting higher target prices at $183.00 and $160.00, respectively.
• Morgan Stanley reported strong quarterly earnings with an EPS of $2.80, significantly surpassing expectations, and announced a $20 billion stock buyback program, signaling confidence in its stock value.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $175.00 to $186.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective points to a potential upside of 14.88% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on MS. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $160.85.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 4.2%

Shares of MS opened at $161.91 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $166.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $152.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $136.38. The stock has a market cap of $258.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.34, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.32.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $18.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.Morgan Stanley's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% in the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

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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