Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has received an average consensus rating of "Hold" from fifteen analysts, with a price target of $142.00.
• The company reported earnings of $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing estimates, and experienced a year-over-year revenue increase of 11.8%.
• Morgan Stanley announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.00 per share, as well as a share repurchase plan of $20 billion for outstanding shares.

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $142.00.

Several research firms have commented on MS. Citigroup upped 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $160.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $255.62 billion, a PE ratio of 18.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.33. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $163.98. The business's fifty day moving average price is $148.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $132.96.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 prior year, the firm earned $1.82 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.30%.

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

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 399,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $56,325,688.65. This represents a 6.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 25,583 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.81, for a total transaction of $3,576,759.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,988,234.22. This trade represents a 16.59% 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 worth $20,841,628 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.3% in the second quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 3,090 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.5% in the second quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,799 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Gallagher Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Gallagher Capital Advisors LLC now owns 9,969 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,420,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC now owns 13,361 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,882,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,007 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently 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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