Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Increased to $100.00 by Analysts at HSBC

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) had its target price hoisted by HSBC from $96.00 to $100.00 in a research note published on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the financial services provider's stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $109.00 to $97.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a market perform rating and issued a $91.00 price target (down from $102.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $94.45.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $94.16. 6,624,163 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,981,474. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $87.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.16. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $69.42 and a 1 year high of $95.57. The stock has a market cap of $153.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.43.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.06. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.49% and a return on equity of 10.36%. The business had revenue of $12.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 30th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.13, for a total value of $841,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 323,490 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,215,213.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Raja Akram sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.56, for a total value of $584,920.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 97,634 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,158,297.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.13, for a total transaction of $841,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 323,490 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,215,213.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 208,155 shares of company stock worth $18,149,314 over the last 90 days. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 5,200.0% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 328 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.