Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Upgraded at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Morgan Stanley from “hold” to “strong-buy,” adding to a generally bullish analyst backdrop for the stock.
• Other firms have also turned more optimistic, with Bank of America and UBS lifting price targets to $250 and $255, respectively; the consensus rating is now Moderate Buy with an average target of $215.20.
• Morgan Stanley is trading near its 52-week high after reporting better-than-expected quarterly earnings and authorizing a $20 billion share buyback, which covers up to 5.6% of outstanding shares.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on MS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $179.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Erste Group Bank raised Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. HSBC lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $215.20.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.0%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $222.12 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $350.35 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $206.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.38. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $135.26 and a one year high of $230.47.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.70%. Morgan Stanley's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 282,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,209,159.78. This represents a 15.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at $69,224,370.48. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 502 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Powers Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,443 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 4,216 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $748,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Financial Services LTD. raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $635,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company's stock.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on Morgan Stanley (MS) to $255 from $214 and reiterated a buy rating, suggesting additional upside from current levels. UBS Group Boosts Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS Price Target to $255.00
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America also lifted its target on Morgan Stanley (MS) to $250 and kept a buy rating, reinforcing the bullish analyst tone ahead of earnings. Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by Bank of America Corporation from $225.00 to $250.00.
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also focusing on Morgan Stanley’s Q2 earnings report due July 15, with expectations for solid revenue and EPS, while recent commentary has highlighted strength in Wall Street trading activity and capital markets as a potential tailwind for bank results.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader financial-sector optimism is helping sentiment, as analysts have been pointing to strong second-quarter earnings prospects for major U.S. banks and continued strength in trading and advisory activity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s own market commentary has also been active, including calls that investors may rotate toward hyperscalers and AI-linked names; that’s more of a broader strategy backdrop than a direct driver for MS itself. Trading surge, helped by SpaceX IPO, seen lifting Wall St banks' second-quarter earnings

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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