Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from 23 analysts, with an average 1-year price target of about $206.26.
• Recent analyst moves have been mostly constructive, including higher price targets from Barclays, DBS Bank, UBS, and others, though some firms maintained neutral or sector-perform ratings.
• The company also reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.43 topping estimates and revenue of $20.58 billion rising 16% year over year, while it announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-three research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $206.2632.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wolfe Research lowered their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total transaction of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 502 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,443 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 4,216 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,767 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Financial Services LTD. increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 3,579 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $635,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: DBS Bank raised its price target on Morgan Stanley to $220 from $185, signaling more upside potential. DBS Bank price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lifted FY2027 earnings estimates for Morgan Stanley, while keeping a Buy rating, reinforcing confidence in longer-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS also increased its Morgan Stanley price target to $214 from $196, adding to the wave of bullish revisions. UBS price target update

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $192.99 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $172.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.64. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $121.46 and a twelve month high of $194.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $304.40 billion, a PE ratio of 17.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.60 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.23%.

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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