Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Earns Buy (B-) Rating from Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has received a "buy (B-)" rating from Weiss Ratings, reaffirming confidence in the stock amid various analysts' reviews.
• UBS Group and other analysts have raised their target prices for Morgan Stanley, ranging from $156 to $165, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• The company recently initiated a $20 billion share buyback plan, indicating management believes the stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b-)" rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Weiss Ratings in a report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.85.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:MS traded down $1.58 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $154.07. 847,729 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,369,542. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $163.98. The firm has a market cap of $245.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.32. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $151.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.18.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.15. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%.The business had revenue of $16.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 18,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.62, for a total value of $2,531,160.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 136,407 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,181,552.34. This represents a 11.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 25,583 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.81, for a total value of $3,576,759.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,988,234.22. The trade was a 16.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 148,149 shares of company stock worth $20,841,628 over the last 90 days. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth $30,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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