JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its price target on Morgan Stanley from $187 to $195 but kept a neutral rating, implying about 9.95% downside from the prior close.
• Morgan Stanley reported a strong quarterly beat, posting $3.46 EPS versus $2.89 expected and $21.35 billion in revenue versus $19.67 billion estimated, with revenue up 27.1% year over year.
• The company also authorized a $20 billion share repurchase program, while analysts overall remain constructive with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $219.55.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $187.00 to $195.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the financial services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target would suggest a potential downside of 9.95% from the company's previous close.

MS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Dbs Bank increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $220.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. UBS Group upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $214.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Argus increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $219.55.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 5.3%

MS stock traded down $12.01 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $216.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,010,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,655,223. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $210.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.27. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $136.17 and a 12 month high of $232.25. The company has a market capitalization of $341.54 billion, a PE ratio of 19.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. The business had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: Morgan Stanley’s Q2 beat showed record revenue and profit, with trading and dealmaking driving the upside and reinforcing the bank’s earnings momentum. Morgan Stanley Reports Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Results
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased its quarterly dividend to $1.15 per share, signaling stronger capital returns and balance-sheet confidence. Morgan Stanley stock page
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after earnings, including Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raising its price target to $250 and maintaining an outperform view. Benzinga article on KBW target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted record wealth and institutional revenues, plus growing AI-related capital needs, suggesting Morgan Stanley is benefiting from multiple growth drivers. Morgan Stanley Q2 Earnings Call Flags Wealth, AI & Capital Strength

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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