Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $120.00 to $145.00 in a research note published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the financial services provider's stock.

MS has been the topic of a number of other reports. Erste Group Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $136.69.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.3%

MS stock traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $141.57. 4,837,018 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,692,240. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $90.94 and a 1-year high of $145.16. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $130.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $126.37. The firm has a market cap of $227.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.30.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.81 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.02 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 43.43%.

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 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total transaction of $1,124,092.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 199,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 335,765 shares in the company, valued at $40,291,800. The trade was a 10.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock valued at $6,019,548. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,607,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 108.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 8,393 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 4,372 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 27.7% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 6,739 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $847,000 after purchasing an additional 1,463 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 19.5% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 43,286 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,442,000 after purchasing an additional 7,069 shares during the period. Finally, Davis R M Inc. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 6,977 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $877,000 after purchasing an additional 993 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.