Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets has initiated coverage on Morgan Stanley with an "outperform" rating and a price target of $180.00, suggesting a potential upside of 15.92% from the current stock price.
• Morgan Stanley's recent quarterly earnings reported a net margin of 13.06% and a revenue of $16.79 billion, exceeding analysts' expectations.
• Insiders have sold a total of 148,149 shares worth approximately $20.84 million in the last 90 days, indicating shifting ownership within the company.

Investment analysts at BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an "outperform" rating and a $180.00 price target on the financial services provider's stock. BMO Capital Markets' price target indicates a potential upside of 15.92% from the stock's current price.

MS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of 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 research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $147.00.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 1.0%

MS stock opened at $155.28 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $163.98. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.16. The firm has a market cap of $247.89 billion, a PE ratio of 17.59, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.32.

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

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has authorized 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 buy up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.13, for a total value of $4,092,770.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 399,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,325,688.65. The trade was a 6.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 119,239 shares in the company, valued at $16,729,231.70. This represents a 14.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 184.3% in the first quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 6,449 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $752,000 after buying an additional 4,181 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at approximately $316,000. Secure Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Naples Global Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 23.9% in the first quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,148 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 414 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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