Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Raised to $136.00 at The Goldman Sachs Group

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) had its target price boosted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $121.00 to $136.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Bank of America decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $133.23.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MS traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $131.78. The stock had a trading volume of 4,111,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,682,992. The company has a market cap of $211.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.29. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $90.94 and a 12 month high of $142.03. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $119.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $125.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The business's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 43.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, Director Robert H. Herz sold 800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.32, for a total transaction of $95,456.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 96,760 shares in the company, valued at $11,545,403.20. The trade was a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $4,800,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 335,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This represents a 10.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.