Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its target price for Morgan Stanley from $122.00 to $157.00, maintaining a "neutral" rating, which indicates a potential downside of 3.01% from its current price.
• Multiple analysts have upgraded their target prices for Morgan Stanley, with Jefferies Financial Group and Evercore ISI setting estimates of $186.00 and $175.00 respectively, reflecting a generally positive outlook for the stock.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, reporting $2.80 earnings per share compared to a consensus estimate of $2.07, contributing to an 18.5% year-over-year revenue increase.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $122.00 to $157.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the financial services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective suggests a potential downside of 3.01% from the company's current price.

MS has been the topic of several other research reports. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $168.23.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS stock opened at $161.87 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $258.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.32. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $166.77.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. The firm had revenue of $18.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.55% and a net margin of 13.85%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.88 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 23,578 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 10.7% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 164,055 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $19,140,000 after purchasing an additional 15,825 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 4,480 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $523,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 3,910 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

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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