Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target on Morgan Stanley to $250 from $225 and kept an outperform rating, implying about 9.4% upside from the current share price.
• Morgan Stanley also got broader analyst support, with multiple firms lifting targets and the stock carrying an average Moderate Buy rating and a consensus price target of $216.80.
• The company’s latest quarterly results were strong, with EPS of $3.46 and revenue of $21.35 billion both beating estimates; Morgan Stanley also authorized a $20 billion share buyback and raised its quarterly dividend by 15%.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $225.00 to $250.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price objective suggests a potential upside of 9.40% from the company's current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. CICC Research raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $179.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $216.80.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.4%

MS stock opened at $228.52 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $360.44 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $135.26 and a one year high of $232.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm's fifty day moving average is $210.69 and its 200 day moving average is $188.27.

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

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the 2nd 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 period. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley posted record quarterly revenue and profit, beating analyst estimates on both the top and bottom lines, which supports the stock. Morgan Stanley Reports Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Results
• Positive Sentiment: Trading and investment banking were key upside drivers, showing that market volatility and dealmaking activity are still benefiting Morgan Stanley’s core businesses. Morgan Stanley profit rises on dealmaking boost, strong trading
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its quarterly dividend by 15%, reinforcing confidence in capital generation and shareholder returns. Morgan Stanley stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media reports and analyst notes highlighted Morgan Stanley ahead of earnings, but the main stock driver today is the actual earnings beat rather than the pre-earnings commentary. Morgan Stanley is set to report second-quarter earnings — here's what the Street expects

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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